CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Angel Flores, 34, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by complaint with conspiracy to possess machine guns and smuggling machine guns, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on October 27, 2022, Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a parcel, sent from China, at the FedEx facility at the Memphis International Airport in Memphis, Tennessee. The contents of the parcel were described as “plastic spring buckles used for clothes,” but an examination of the parcel found that it actually contained parts for several Machine Gun Conversion Devices (MCDs), which were concealed in a bag comingled among black plastic drawstring clips. The parcel, addressed to a residence on Sweet Avenue in Buffalo, was seized and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations. Subsequent investigation determined Flores resides at the Sweet Street address.
On November 9, 2022, an investigator delivered the parcel, without the MCDs, to the front steps of the Sweet Avenue residence. A short time later, Flores took the parcel inside before exiting the residence, at which time he was taken into custody.
Flores made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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