A prison gang member will serve seven years in federal prison after he was found with a rifle while hunting, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Gerardo Vargas, 57, of Falfurrias, Texas, pleaded guilty July 25 and is headed back to prison for illegally possessing a rifle, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release Wednesday from Corpus Christi.
U.S District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos sentenced Vargas to 84 months in federal prison, which will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
During the sentencing hearing, Ramos was told about Vargas’ extensive criminal history involving burglary, narcotics trafficking and firearms charges. The judge also was told that Vargas was on supervised release for conspiracy to harbor/transport undocumented immigrants at the time of the crime.
The judge also heard that Vargas has been a member of the Texas Syndicate prison gang since 1990.
While sentencing Vargas, Ramos noted his extensive criminal history and that it was his fifth federal case.
According to the news release, in December 2022, authorities saw Vargas hunting with a rifle on private property and took him into custody on related charges. He also admitted he had hunted just days earlier on another property.
Because he is a convicted felon, he is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.
Vargas will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
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