A 40-year-old Harlingen man has been sentenced to over a year in prison after he was found guilty of lying on a federal firearms form.
A jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before finding Juan Sauceda guilty of the charge during his June 18 trial.
Sauceda appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera, who sentenced him to 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.
In a press release, the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas stated Sauceda lied on a form as he tried to purchase a 12-gauge pump shotgun at a Walmart store in Harlingen on Sept. 6, 2018.
As part of the purchase, Sauceda had to fill out an ATF form for a background check. On the form, Sauceda stated he had never been convicted of a felony. However, the background check revealed Sauceda had a conviction for two counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon pertaining to something that occurred in 2013.
Authorities report Sauceda had stabbed two people in a dispute in Custer County, Oklahoma.
Sauceda will remain out on bond and will be ordered to voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a date to be determined.
