Nola Reporter

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Junior Alexander Moncada-Vargas, age 35, of Honduras, was sentenced on July 10, 2024, to thirty months in prison by U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long after previously pleading guilty to possession and transfer of a machinegun, as well as three counts of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Judge Long also sentenced Moncada-Vargas to three years of supervised release, payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, and deportation proceedings after serving his prison sentence.

According to court records, on or about July 21, 2023; August 2, 2023; and September 18, 2023, respectively, Moncada-Vargas sold to undercover agents a Glock Model 22 Gen 5 .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun with a Glock auto-sear and approximately twenty-two rounds of ammunition; a Kalashnikov USA Model KR103 7.62 x 39-millimeter semi-automatic rifle and approximately thirty rounds of ammunition; and a Norinco Model SKS 7.62 x 39-millimeter semi-automatic rifle and approximately thirty rounds of ammunition. On September 18, 2023, Moncada-Vargas was arrested and admitted that he was an illegal alien unlawfully present in the United States.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities; supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring results.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department in this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy L. Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.