Fort Worth man who trafficked firearms from Texas to California to convicted felons was sentenced today to 9 years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Justin Douangmala, 41, was charged via criminal complaint in July and pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to traffick in firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 933(a)(3). He was sentenced today to 9 years in federal prison.
Mr. Douangmala is among the first defendants in the Northern District of Texas to plead guilty to an offense outlined in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law by President Biden in June 2022.
According to court documents, during a search warrant at Mr. Douangmala’s residence several firearms and drugs were located in his Fort Worth residence.  Cell phone conversations further revealed Mr. Douangmala and others discussing silencers and firearms. In one of those messages, an individual asked Mr. Douangmala to send him pictures of firearms he had access to (as seen in the image below).  Mr. Douangmala admitted to sending multiple firearms from Texas to California to a convicted felon. At the sentencing hearing, it was shown that Mr. Douangmala was also receiving large quantities of drugs from this individual in California that he was trafficking the firearms to in exchange.  Â
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division and Fort Worth Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Levi Thomas prosecuted the case.