Austin, TX: previously convicted felon sentenced for firearm possession, fraud conspiracy

When you read the press release published by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, you'll understand why County Examiner keeps an eye on credit, debit card expiration dates, reviews credit card and bank statements daily, and places a hold on mail delivery prior to travelling out-of-town.

CE and her hubby check their mailbox daily and always deposit outgoing mail inside the post office or an authorized post office drop.

(Austin, TX) In Austin today, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel sentenced 28–year–old Austin resident Douglas Ryan Dahl to 51 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud using information obtained from stolen mail, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Houston Division.  Dahl also was ordered to pay $3,559.78 in restitution.

According to court documents, between about January 1, and December 25, 2018, Dahl conspired with others to obtain money and goods through fraudulent use of stolen and fraudulently obtained PII.  Dahl obtained mail stolen by other individuals who pried open mail receptacles in the Austin, Texas area.  Dahl was found with thousands of pieces of mail from hundreds of different victims. With a laptop and laser printer, Dahl used the personally identifying information taken from the victims of the stolen mail to create fake, temporary driver’s licenses bearing Dahl’s photograph.  Dahl was found driving a 2014 Ford Taurus in December 2018 that he purchased after obtaining $25,000 in financing using stolen personal identification information.  A temporary Texas Driver’s License was found in the car in the victim’s name but bearing Dahl’s photo.  At the time, Dahl, a convicted felon, possessed a Glock Model 19 9mm handgun and a Remington 12 gauge shotgun.

Three Laredoans Arrested for Making False Statements When Purchasing Firearms

On August 5 County Examiner brought you the news of a press release out of the U.S. Attorneys Office, Northern District of Texas. The press release focused on an individual in Lubbock, Texas who the USAO alleged made false statements to a federally-licensed firearms dealer for the purpose of acquiring a firearm. 

And today there's THIS press release about three more individuals in Texas arrested for making false statements to acquire a firearm but this time in Laredo. 

Guess what? The firearms were allegedly destined for Mexico.

From the U. S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas:

LAREDO, Texas – One woman and two men from Laredo are set to appear in court for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States by knowingly making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Ivette Julissa Ramirez, 18, Jesus Abraham Ramirez, 24, and David Arnaldo Garcia, 25, are set to make their initial appearances today at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon. 

According to the criminal complaint, beginning on July 29, Ivette Ramirez purchased four AK-47 type semi-automatic rifles over the course of eight days. Law enforcement officials subsequently learned she allegedly made a $3,000 deposit on a .50 caliber rifle at a federal firearm licensee in Laredo. 

The charges allege that on Aug. 13, 2019, she arrived at the licensee with Jesus Ramirez. Both were subsequently observed leaving, with Jesus Ramirez rolling a large gun case, according to the complaint.

Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and discovered Ivette Ramirez, Jesus Ramirez and Garcia all inside the vehicle as was a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, according to the charges. 

The complaint alleges Garcia and Jesus Ramirez would provide the funds, while Ivette Ramirez made the actual firearms purchases. The firearms were allegedly going to Mexico.

Read the full press release here.

Lubbock man arrested for allegedly making false statement to FFL

Foreign nationals found to have made misrepresentations on government forms garner the attention of County Examiner, as do American citizens alleged to have done the same.

From the U.S. Attorneys Office, Northern District of Texas:

"A Lubbock man allegedly contemplating a mass shooting has been charged by criminal complaint with making false statements to a federally-licensed firearms dealer, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. The potential shooting has been averted. 

William Patrick Williams, 19, was arrested by special agents of ATF and FBI Thursday, following a brief hospitalization. He made his initial appearance in court Friday morning... Eight days later, ATF received the firearms transaction form (form 4473) that Williams had completed on July 11, when purchasing the AK-47. 

On the form, Mr. Williams listed his relatives’ address, where he no longer resided. Agents discovered that although Mr. William’s driver’s license showed the family members’ address, Mr. Williams was actually living with a roommate at a different address, following eviction by his relatives.  He had allegedly misrepresented his current address on the firearms transaction form." (read the rest here)

Report: Florida “red flag” law resulted in 1,443 petitions filed to confiscate firearms

1,443 petitions for temporary ex-parte risk protection orders were filed across 54 Florida counties from March 2018 through February 2019, according to a report obtained by County Examiner.

Prepared by the Florida Office of State Court Administrators the document reveals Broward, Polk and Pinellas law enforcement topped the list of counties reporting the filing of temporary firearm confiscation orders for the above-mentioned period; 251, 248, and 202 respectively. Thirteen Florida counties presumably filed zero firearm confiscation orders.

While a footnote specifies the statistics were provided to OSCA by each Clerk of the Court and have not been audited for accuracy, examining the number of motions filed to extend the ban on firearm possession to one year raises additional questions about the origins and motivations for the temporary ERPO filing in the first place.

For example, Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts reported 88 petitions for temporary firearm confiscations and extended a one-year ban on firearm possession in 43 of those situations. Does a one-year ban on firearm ownership meet the definition of “temporary”?

Meanwhile the OSCA report reveals Broward, Polk and Pinellas law enforcement, who together presumably filed 701 temporary firearm confiscation orders, ultimately filed ZERO motions to extend the firearm ownership ban to one year. Does that equate to successfully stopping a person before something bad happens?

You can view the OSCA report here.

County Examiner previously reported on a brief filed in Florida’s Second District Court of Appeals challenging several provisions of Florida’s gun confiscation act, most notably due process concerns, allowing admission of hearsay evidence and the unlawful delegation of prosecutorial authority to law enforcement in violation of the Florida Constitution.

You can view the court docket here.