Columbia County Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Firearm Dealing to Mexico

Gainesville, Florida - Jose Manuel Barron, 32, of Columbia County, Florida, has pleaded guilty in federal court on a charge of conspiracy to transfer firearms to a nonresident and making false statements to a firearms dealer. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the guilty plea.

According to court records, between June 2019 and February 2022, the defendant agreed to transfer, sell, and deliver multiple firearms to an intended recipient in Mexico. These firearms were all military style assault weapons, including two Barrett .50 BMG caliber rifles, a Colt 5.56 caliber rifle, and a Model M240 SLR 7.62 caliber rifle. Barron acquired one of the firearms under false pretenses from a federal firearms dealer. Three of the firearms were later recovered in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2027, at 3:00pm before Chief United States District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville, Florida. The defendant faces up to five years of imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.