11-30-2024 1:57pm

DOJ New Mexico District Weekly News Roundup Nov 30, 2024

Chris Edwards Editor

This weeks update from the New Mexico District Office of the Department of Justice includes...

A Mescalero man pleaded guilty in federal court to violently assaulting his girlfriend in a domestic violence incident.

According to court documents per the DOJ release, on October 9, 2023, Frank Shorty Trujillo, 19, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, violently assaulted his girlfriend, Jane Doe, at their residence. The attack was triggered by Trujillo's anger over a delayed marijuana delivery.

The assault began in front of the couple's one-year-old son. Trujillo repeatedly punched Jane Doe and bit her left leg above the knee. Throughout the attack, Jane Doe feared for her life.

Trujillo will remain detained pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Trujillo faces up to five years imprisonment. Upon his release from prison, Trujillo will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matilda McCarthy Villalobos is prosecuting the case.
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A Mescalero man pleaded guilty in federal court to assault of dating partner by strangling.

According to court documents per the release between May 5 and May 11, 2022, Kevin El Cavazone, 41, assaulted his ex-girlfriend by strangling her on the Mescalero Apache Reservation.

At sentencing, El Cavazone faces up to 10 years in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Matilda McCarthy Villalobos is prosecuting the case.

A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being convicted by a federal jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This was his second federal conviction for such an offense.

According to court documents per a DOJ release, on December 11, 2021, Jesus Coronado, 43, brandished a firearm at his former girlfriend and another man in a smoke shop parking lot. Following the incident, both parties fled the scene in their vehicles and the victim called 911

Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) officers obtained an arrest warrant for Coronado and located his vehicle at a Las Cruces residence. After several days of surveillance, officers observed a male matching Coronado's description in the driveway of the residence on December 13, 2021. When commanded to stop, Coronado fled.

Officers set up a perimeter around the residence and called for occupants to exit. While maintaining the perimeter, an officer observed a firearm on the roof of the residence. Coronado was later found hiding between a tree and a small cinder block wall across the street.

The firearm recovered from the roof was sent for DNA testing, which returned a match for Coronado's DNA As a previously convicted felon, Coronado was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Coronado was federally charged on February 8, 2022, and indicted on June 21, 2023, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following a two-day trial, a jury found Coronado guilty on February 14, 2024.

Upon his release from prison, Coronado will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher McNair and Richard Williams prosecuted the case.

An Albuquerque woman pleaded guilty in federal court to engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and possession of a machine gun conversion device after she and her son negotiated and sold machine gun conversion devices to an undercover ATF agent in 2023.

According to court documents per a DOJ release, the investigation began in December 2022 when the ATF identified Joe Jasso's Instagram account advertising machine gun conversion devices. Joe Jasso subsequently deleted the account in January 2023, however ATF agents were able to quickly identify a new account with similar identifiers, including Joe's distinctive skeleton hand tattoo. Undercover operations led to two controlled purchases from Joe Jasso and his mother, Rachel Jasso, 43, in February 2023.

On February 7, 2023, undercover agents conducted two controlled buys with the Jassos. During the first exchange, Joe Jasso demonstrated how to install a Glock Switch on a firearm. Rachael Jasso was present at both exchanges and offered assistance if needed.

On February 16, 2023, ATF agents executed a search warrant at the Jasso residence. During the search, agents recovered ten firearms, five machine gun conversion devices, a large amount of ammunition, numerous magazines, and a 3D printer used to manufacture these devices.

Neither Joe nor Rachael Jasso held the necessary federal firearms license to legally possess or sell these devices. Additionally, between July 2020 and February 2023, thirteen firearms purchased by Rachael Jasso were recovered in criminal investigations.

Rachael Jasso will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Rachael Jasso faces up to ten years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000. Upon her release from prison, Rachael Jasso will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

On June 11, 2024, Joe Jasso pleaded guilty to engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and possession of a machine gun conversion device. Joe Jasso remains in custody pending sentencing, which is not currently scheduled. At sentencing, he faces 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado is prosecuting the case.

Machine gun conversion devices and auto sears are illegal devices that transform semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons capable of continuous firing with a single trigger pull. The possession, manufacture, and sale of these devices without proper licensing is a federal offense carrying severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.

The proliferation of these devices poses an immediate and critical threat to public safety. Between 2018 and 2023, the ATF recovered thousands of machine gun conversion devices, indicating an alarming trend in their availability and use. Violent street gangs are increasingly employing these devices, devastating communities and neighborhoods with unprecedented firepower.

This dramatic increase in illegal automatic weapons puts both civilians and law enforcement at extreme risk. Officers responding to incidents may find themselves severely outgunned, facing weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. The potential for mass casualties in such encounters is staggering.

Law enforcement agencies are racing against time to intercept these devices before they can be used in violent crimes. Public cooperation is crucial in combating this threat. If you have information about illegal firearms or conversion devices, please contact the ATF immediately:

Call: 1-888-ATF-Tips (1-888-283-8477)

Email: ATFTips@atf.gov

Visit: www.atf.gov/atf-tips

Your tip could save lives and prevent these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The time to act is now, before our community fall victim to the devastating impact of these illegal automatic weapons.