Round Rock Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking and Unlicensed Dealing of Firearms

SAN ANTONIO - A Round Rock man pleaded guilty in a federal court in San Antonio today to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and one count of dealing in firearms without a license.

According to court documents, Job Eliezer De La Torre, 50, was engaged in the business of dealing in firearms without a license from Jan. 1, 2020 to Nov. 1, 2023. During that time, he purchased approximately 356 firearms for resale, approximately 24 of which were recovered by law enforcement. Approximately 12 of those 24 were recovered in Mexico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant on De La Torre's Round Rock residence on Nov. 2, 2023, seizing his cell phone, 44 firearms, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, ledgers of sales for firearms, $26,000 in cash, as well as precious metals. De La Torre stated he advertised guns for sale online and made between $20 and $200 in profit per firearm sold.

Messages on his phone reflected his business dealings. From May to September 2023 alone, De La Torre sold approximately 50 firearms for $196,850 to one co-conspirator. The deal included AR-15 5.56 caliber firearms, six AR-10 .308 caliber firearms, an AK pistol, an FN SCAR 17S rifle, and FightLite MCR builds.

De La Torre faces up to 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy offense and up to five years for dealing in firearms without a license. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The ATF and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Calve is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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