Del Rio Man Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms

DEL RIO, Texas - A Del Rio man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 105 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic firearms, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Mark Anthony Jimenez aka "M-Thang," 24, obtained a pistol equipped with a machine gun conversion device, also known as a switch, and purchased two boxes of 9mm ammunition in Del Rio.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discovered videos Jimenez shared on Facebook depicting himself, a juvenile, and codefendant Alleena Nikole Soto, firing rounds from the pistol with the switch attached, in fully automatic mode. ATF canvassed the property where Jimenez was seen firing the automatic pistol and recovered multiple 9mm shell casings consistent with the ammunition that he purchased.

Jimenez and Soto were arrested on Feb. 8, 2024. Both defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms. Soto was sentenced to 44 months in prison with credit for time served on Nov. 18, 2025.

The ATF investigated the case with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, the Val Verde County Sheriff's Office, the Del Rio Police Department, and Val Verde County Adult Probation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Ellis-Dotson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allyson Breach prosecuted 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.

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