ALBUQUERQUE – Richard Isaac Quezada, 34, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced yesterday afternoon in federal court to 46 months in prison for violating the federal firearms laws by illegally possessing a firearm. Quezada will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence.
Quezada was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on March 14, 2016, in Doña Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, Quezada was arrested after he discharged a firearm and struck a vehicle. During a search incident to arrest, the officers found that Quezada was in possession of a loaded firearm and ammunition.
On July 20, 2016, Quezada pled guilty to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. In entering the guilty plea, Quezada admitted that on March 14, 2016, he possessed a loaded handgun and ammunition. Quezada admitted that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because his prior conviction for importing marijuana.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah M. Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.