Gregory Kielma • May 2, 2026
Husband and Wife, and a Third Individual Charged with Firearms Trafficking
Husband and Wife, and a Third Individual Charged with Firearms Trafficking
Friday, May 1, 2026
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging José M. Ayala-Rivera, his brother Erick Osorio-Rivera, and Erick’s wife Bianca Vidal Vázquez-Millán 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) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are in charge of the investigation.
According to the indictment, beginning on a date unknown but no later than October 2024 and up to August 2025, the defendants, not being licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers, and collectors of firearms, did knowingly conspire to transport into and receive in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico firearms purchased in the state of Massachusetts. The object of the conspiracy was to use the United States Postal Service to, covertly and without notice, transfer, trade, give, transport, and deliver firearms purchased or otherwise obtained outside of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to persons residing in Puerto Rico.
Defendants Osorio-Rivera and Vázquez-Millán acquired firearms in Massachusetts, where they resided, and arranged for them to be sent to Puerto Rico via the Priority Mail service from the U.S. Postal Service. Defendant Ayala-Rivera received the firearms in Puerto Rico and stored them in a residence.
All defendants are facing one count for: (1) conspiracy to receive firearms from out of state, (2) transfer firearms out of state, and (3) send firearms via a common carrier without written notice. Osorio-Rivera and Vázquez-Millán are facing one count for shipping a firearm without providing notice to the carrier. If convicted, each defendant faces a sentence of up to five years in prison.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; Jason Stankiewicz, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Miami Field Division; and Bladismir Rojo, Postal Inspector in Charge, Miami Division made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pedro Casablanca and Jeanette M. Collazo-Ortiz, Chief of the Violent Crimes Section, are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
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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Updated May 1, 2026
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Trafficking Nine Firearms, Including to Buyer Who Said He Was ‘At War’ Thursday, April 30, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia WASHINGTON - Brandon Smith, 34, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 87 months in prison for conspiring to traffic at least nine firearms to a prohibited buyer over the course of six months, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Brandon Smith was already on supervised probation for a violent felony when he chose to traffic firearms, and he continued even after being told the buyer intended to use them for violence,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Over the course of six months, he arranged the sale of at least nine guns—including one with an obliterated serial number—to a prohibited individual. This was not a momentary lapse in judgment, but a sustained and deliberate effort to arm someone who could not legally possess firearms. My office remains committed to holding accountable those who endanger our communities by trafficking illegal guns.” On Jan. 9, 2026, Smith pleaded guilty before Judge Howell to conspiracy to commit trafficking in firearms. In addition to the 87-month prison term, Judge Howell ordered Smith to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 108-month prison term. According to court papers, beginning in November 2023, ATF opened an investigation after a confidential source reported that Smith, then on supervised probation for a violent felony, was actively advertising firearms for sale by texting photographs of guns to prospective buyers, including individuals with prior felony convictions. During the next six months, Smith sold or arranged the sale of nine firearms to a buyer on six separate occasions. During the transactions, Smith sold his own personal carry firearm on multiple occasions when a supplier failed to deliver, then purchased a replacement for himself afterward. In early January 2024, as Smith and the buyer discussed an upcoming transaction, the buyer told Smith he needed the firearms because he was “at war” after his cousin had been killed. Smith proceeded with the sale. The buyer had also told Smith he was serving a criminal justice sentence at the time of the transactions. Smith acknowledged that he, too, was “on papers.” Smith arranged a total of six transactions from Nov. 30, 2023, through May 30, 2024, resulting in the sale of nine firearms. At least one of the firearms had its serial number obliterated. On Oct. 26, 2024, MPD officers conducted a traffic stop on the 1600 block of 16th Street SE and found Smith in the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle. Officers observed open containers of alcohol and discovered a satchel at his feet. Inside the satchel, in plain view, was a loaded Glock Model 19X 9mm handgun with a round in the chamber and 16 additional rounds in the magazine. The bag also contained a bank card and government-issued identification in Smith’s name. Smith has prior convictions for Simple Assault (2011), Attempted Robbery (2013), and Robbery and Possession of a Firearm during a Crime of Violence (2016), for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. He was serving a term of supervised probation from the 2016 conviction at the time of the firearms trafficking conspiracy. This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan. Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Trafficking
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Macon Offenders Guilty in ATF Firearms Trafficking Investigation Friday, April 24, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia Thirty Firearms Seized, Including a Machinegun and Conversion Devices, Plus Illegal Drugs MACON, Ga. – Three Macon offenders, two with prior felony convictions, have been held accountable at the federal level for their roles in an illegal firearms and drug trafficking network as part of a larger Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation in the community. Brandon Thorpe, 32, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on April 23. Thorpe faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled by the Court. Lonnie Alexander, 44, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on April 21. Alexander faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a maximum $10,000,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for July 9. John Cato, 25, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Feb. 5, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking on Nov. 19, 2025. U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell is presiding over the cases. There is no parole in the federal system. “High-capacity firearms and ammunition, including a machinegun, were removed from the streets of Macon and the defendants were held accountable for their crimes as a result of this ATF-led investigation,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our office is working in close partnership with local, state and federal authorities to uphold the law and make every community we serve safer.” “ATF remains committed to identifying and dismantling criminal networks trafficking firearms that fuel violent crime in our communities,” said ATF Resident Agent in Charge Robert W. Davis. “This case underscores our relentless focus on repeat offenders who illegally sell guns and narcotics, putting lives at risk. We will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure those who threaten public safety are held accountable.” According to court documents and statements in court, ATF agents learned in March 2024 that Alexander, a convicted felon, was illegally selling firearms and narcotics in Macon and opened an investigation. Between April 2024 and April 2025, Alexander was recorded carrying out multiple illegal sales of guns and drugs at locations around Macon, including within 1,000 feet of Mercer University’s campus on April 23, 2024. During that transaction, Alexander distributed over 27 grams of cocaine to an individual in the parking lot of Towne Place Suites, near Mercer University’s campus. Alexander sold over 40 grams of cocaine at different times earlier that month. On May 22, 2024, an individual who had previously told Alexander that he was a convicted felon and that he wanted a gun for drug trafficking, purchased a 9mm pistol with a magazine and three rounds of ammunition during a transaction arranged by Alexander at his Macon home. The following day, an individual bought a loaded 9mm pistol from an associate of Alexander’s, with Alexander receiving a “finder’s fee” for arranging the sale. On September 12, 2024, an individual bought a 9mm pistol in a transaction arranged by Alexander at a gas station in Macon. Later that day, the individual bought a .38 special revolver and over 15 grams of methamphetamine from Alexander at an apartment complex in Macon. On April 23, 2025, Alexander arranged a sale of firearms and methamphetamine to an individual in a restaurant parking lot in Macon. During the transaction, Alexander sold over 80 grams of methamphetamine, and Cato sold three firearms to the individual, including a machinegun. On May 20, 2025, Cato sold seven firearms and a 50-round drum magazine to an individual in a restaurant parking lot in Macon. On June 26, 2025, Thorpe drove Cato to a parking lot in Macon, carrying a dozen firearms, including a Glock switch, which converts a semi-automatic pistol into a machinegun. Cato intended to sell the firearms to an individual. The individual purchased all the firearms from Cato. On July 9, 2025, Cato arrived at a parking lot in Macon to sell a convicted felon firearms and promethazine, a sedative. As ATF agents surrounded Cato’s car, Cato ran into oncoming traffic on Riverside Drive. The agents soon caught and arrested him. Inside Cato’s car were four firearms, two of which had been reported stolen, and 192 ounces of promethazine. In all, ATF seized 30 firearms. Cato is responsible for trafficking 26 firearms; of those 26 firearms, Thorpe is responsible for possessing 12 of them. ATF seized four illegal firearms from Alexander. The firearms included a machinegun, conversion devices, and stolen guns. In addition, ATF seized more than 67 grams of cocaine and more than 100 grams of methamphetamine from Alexander, and 192 ounces of promethazine from Cato. Alexander and Thorpe each have previous felony convictions. Thorpe also had an active warrant from another county at the time of his arrest. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The case was investigated by ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Couch is prosecuting these cases for the Government. Updated April 24, 2026
