Dual Colombian-American Citizen Sentenced for Illegally Exporting Firearms from Florida to Columbia
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday today sentenced Jhon Marin-Moreno (39, Medellin, Colombia) to 48 months in federal prison for smuggling goods from the United States. In addition, he was ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $20,000.
Marin-Moreno had pleaded guilty in June 2020. According to court documents, Marin-Moreno, a dual citizen of the United States and Colombia, arranged for individuals in Florida to acquire firearms for him, including numerous types of assault rifles. Marin-Moreno then illegally exported the firearms to Colombia concealed in packages containing household items.
Marin-Moreno and his co-conspirators attempted to obliterate the serial numbers on the firearms so that they could not be traced. Some of the firearms were acquired to satisfy debts owed for drug purchases. Neither Marin-Moreno nor his co-conspirators applied for or obtained the necessary licenses for exporting defense articles as required by federal law.
On February 10, 2020, Marin-Moreno was detained while traveling through Panama and was immediately removed to the United States to face the charges in the indictment.
Marin-Moreno was previously convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, in 2012, of conspiracy to make false statements and representations to a federally licensed firearms dealer, in connection with a separate scheme to acquire firearms unlawfully.
“This repeat criminal again thought he could thwart the laws of the United States by crossing international borders,” said HSI Tampa Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. “Because of the unique international investigative authorities of HSI and our outstanding law enforcement partnerships with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Colombia’s Policía Fiscal y Aduanera (POLFA), a unit of the National Police of Colombia, he will now be held accountable for his crimes.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Colombia’s Policía Fiscal y Aduanera (POLFA), a unit of the National Police of Colombia. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.
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