Three Men, Who Acquired and Transferred Almost 1,000 Guns, Charged With Firearms Trafficking
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury returned three indictments charging Radamés Revilla-Machín, Roberto Miranda-Schmidt, and Luis Matos-Rosa with the unlicensed business of dealing in firearms, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is in charge of the investigation, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB).
According to the indictments, since 2012 Revilla-Machín and Miranda-Schmidt have transferred over 820 firearms in Puerto Rico. Since 2019, Matos-Rosa has transferred over 100 guns. Several of these transfers occurred within 72 hours of the defendants’ acquisitions of the guns. The three defendants advertised guns for sale on websites, such as comprayventadearmas.com and pewpewpr.com. None of these individuals had a license to sell firearms. In 2019, ATF sent Revilla-Machín a letter advising him to stop engaging in the unlicensed business of dealing in guns.
“Working with our local partners to tackle violent crime is a top priority of the Justice Department,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “Today’s arrests are yet another example of our commitment to combating violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking. We will continue to investigate and disrupt the networks that put guns into our communities -- oftentimes with tragic consequences.”
“Today’s arrests mark significant strides in ATF and PRPB efforts to combat firearms trafficking Puerto Rico,” said Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Miami Field Division. “This collaborative effort enhances our violent crime prevention strategy by apprehending those who place firearms in the hands of criminals.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linet Suárez and Jonathan Gottfried of the Violent Crimes and National Security Section are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, each defendant faces a sentence of up to five years in prison.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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