Gang member sentenced for possessing grenades and firearm

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas | Press Release

McALLEN, Texas – A self-admitted member of the Westside gang has been sentenced  for possessing destructive devices and utilizing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Jamez Aaron Sandoval, 26, of San Juan, pleaded guilty on Sept. 19.

U.S. Chief District Judge Randy Crane has now imposed a total sentence of 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons to be immediately followed by 3 years of supervised release.  At the hearing, the Court learned Sandoval attempted to make a homemade grenade, carried a firearm during a grenade transaction and recorded himself firing fully automatic weapons. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Crane noted that Sandoval promoted violence with his social media post of an individual firing a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device towards law enforcement.

On Aug. 1, authorities arrested Sandoval after he purchased two grenade-style destructive devices from an ATF undercover agent. Law enforcement then conducted a search of his residence and found cocaine, marijuana, drug dealing paraphernalia as well as firearms. Sandoval previously sold law enforcement machinegun conversion devices before asking to purchase the grenades.

Further investigation revealed Sandoval used a firearm found in the residence for protection during the commission of drug trafficking activities.

Sandoval has been and will remain in custody pending his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Alamo Police Department conducted the joint investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.