Snapchat Gun Dealer Convicted of Unlawfully Manufacturing and Selling Firearms
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Andrew Jace Larrabure-Tuma, 20, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to unlawful dealing and manufacturing firearms, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Larrabure-Tuma used Snapchat to advertise guns for sale. During the investigation, Larrabure-Tuma sold guns to undercover officers and a confidential informant. Larrabure-Tuma, who could not legally purchase a gun in the state of California, ordered kits from the internet, including from a company called Polymer80, a licensed firearms manufacturer in Nevada, and manufactured his own firearms and then sold the guns he had manufactured. A search warrant was executed at Larrabure-Tuma’s residence in Sacramento and law enforcement officers found what appeared to be a firearm manufacturing operation, including partially complete firearms, firearm kits from Polymer80, firearm parts, tools for manufacturing and finishing firearms, firearm accessories, completed firearms, and ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Western El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.
Larrabure-Tuma is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Jan. 10, 2023. Larrabure-Tuma faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
