Judge sentences Phoenix men for possessing machineguns

PHOENIX – A pair of 20-year-old Phoenix men and a man from Mexico have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to weapons charges involving machineguns, authorities said.

Alfredo Macias and Daniel Alfredo Galvan, both of Phoenix, were each sentenced to 51 months in prison, and Jesus David Vega-Rivera, 26, of Mexico, received 42 months by U.S. District Judge Krissa M. Lanham for conspiracy to possess machineguns, according to a release from the Arizona district of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

All three also were sentenced to 36 months of supervised release following their release from prison.

Macias and Galvan negotiated with another person to purchase machineguns with the intention of trafficking the firearms to Mexico, according to the release.

“The parties exchanged text messages depicting the firearms and cash. At the time of the in-person exchange, Vega-Rivera was present with the cash for the machineguns. All three individuals were arrested by ATF agents,” the release stated.

Macias pleaded guilty on July 2 to possessing or transfer of a machinegun, and Galvan pleaded guilty to the same charge on June 7, the same day as Vega-Rivera, officials said.

The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, “a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office release stated.