Twelve Charged With Firearms Trafficking
TUCSON, Ariz. – On September 21, 2022, a Tucson federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 49 firearms-related offenses against the following individuals:
- Victor Coronado
- Fernando Palomares, Jr.
- Julissa Leonor Torres
- Carlos Fernando Palomares-Leon
- Briana Marie Montpetit
- Karla Romero
- Avery Danelle Gipson
- Kevin Allen Lapedus
- Ray Alberto Laborin
- Elizar Olivares
- Kyle Rene Fazlollah
- Ty-Jhai Damon Grigsby
The indictment alleges that the 12 individuals were members of a Tucson-based firearms trafficking organization. The investigation leading to their indictment involved a series of firearms transactions that resulted in several firearms being seized in the Republic of Mexico.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
All 12 individuals charged in the indictment face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela W. Woolridge, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
