Mexican National Sentenced To Over Four Years In Federal Prison For Illegally Reentering The United States, Possessing A Firearm, And Possessing Fake Identification Documents

Tampa, Florida - Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara has sentenced Pedro Antunez-Galarza (43, Mexico) to 46 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation for an aggravated felony, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing a false Permanent Resident card and Social Security card. The court also ordered Antunez-Galarza to forfeit the Smith & Wesson M&P 40 Shield, and ammunition used in the offense.

On the same day as his sentencing hearing, Antunez-Galarza admitted that he had committed new law violations and Senior U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell sentenced him to 10 months in federal prison to run consecutive with the sentence that Judge Lazzara had imposed.

According to court documents, Antunez-Galarza was deported in 2020 after he was convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Antunez-Galarza was deported again in 2021 and 2022. In the early morning hours of July 19, 2024, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office attempted to stop Antunez-Galarza, who was riding a bicycle without any lights on. Antunez-Galarza fled from the deputies. When a deputy caught up to him, Antunez-Galarza reached for his waistband before the deputy arrested him. The deputy searched Antunez-Galarza and found a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P 40 Shield that had been reported stolen, a Social Security card with invalid numbers for a "Tony Garcia," and a fictitious Permanent Resident card with the name "Tony Garcia" that displayed a photograph of Antunez-Galarza.

Deputies booked and fingerprinted Antunez-Galarza at the Manatee County Jail. A biometric records check showed that Antunez-Galarza's fingerprints matched those from his prior deportations. Immigration officers reviewed their files and determined that Antunez-Galarza had not received permission to reenter the United States. On October 18, 2024, Antunez-Galarza was arrested. At that time, Antunez-Galarza confessed to paying a smuggler to bring him back into the United States and illegally possessing the firearm.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.