A Southern California man who traveled out of state to purchase pistols and semiautomatic rifles to sell in California without a license was sentenced Tuesday to six months behind bars.
Fernando Nava, 36, of Hemet, pleaded guilty in May in downtown Los Angeles to one federal count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
Two others — Ricardo Amezcua, 46, of South Gate, and Manuel Ivan Sanchez, 38, of Helendale — also pleaded guilty to the same charge.
According to court papers, from May to August of 2023, the defendants frequently made short trips to Utah to purchase firearms from licensed dealers. When the defendants bought the weapons, they falsely claimed on federal forms that they were Utah residents.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, listing a Utah residence was important because Utah-based licensed firearms dealers generally cannot sell weapons to California residents. To buy the guns anyway, each defendant obtained either a Utah driver’s license or ID card listing a Utah address. They then used the fraudulently obtained cards to buy guns from dealers, prosecutors said.
At no time during the investigation did Nava, Amezcua or Sanchez possess a license to deal firearms, authorities said.
The defendants purchased about 123 firearms — 42 from Utah-based licensed firearms dealers and 81 from an online gun exchange, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court.