New Mexico Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Firearms in El Paso

EL PASO, Texas - A felon from New Mexico was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 180 months in prison for stealing and transporting firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, on Jan. 9, Shawn Cole Camu, 38, of Alamogordo, stole two firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee located in El Paso. He then transported the stolen firearms to his home in Alamogordo, where he intended to sell them for drug money. Camu is a convicted felon with seven prior felony convictions in Colorado and New Mexico, including residential burglary, armed burglary, robbery, and assault.

Camu was arrested on Jan. 10 and indicted in February for one count of theft of a firearm from a federal firearm licensee, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of transportation of a stolen firearm. He pleaded guilty to all three counts on Aug. 11. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone sentenced Camu to the statutory maximum for each charge.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, El Paso Police Department, and Alamogordo Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Wisniewski prosecuted the case.

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