ALEXANDRIA, VA – A 23-year-old Salvadoran national was sentenced to one year in federal prison after being found in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Court documents show that Oscar Misael Ventura Ventura entered the United States illegally near McAllen, Texas, before being arrested twice by Fairfax County Police. The first incident occurred on February 10, 2022, when officers responded to reports of armed men outside an apartment complex. As police arrived, several suspects fled, and Ventura was detained after a short pursuit. A stolen handgun was recovered from his waistband.
In a separate incident the following year, Fairfax County officers again found Ventura with a handgun, along with 23 fentanyl pills in his possession. Authorities said Ventura admitted to being associated with the MS-13 gang.
Ventura, who is subject to deportation following his sentence, was prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America, a national Justice Department initiative aimed at combating violent crime and gang activity.
“Oscar Ventura did not enter the United States to pursue a lawful and productive life,” said U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan. “He immediately associated himself with one of the most dangerous gangs in America and began illegally carrying a stolen firearm.”
Christopher Heck, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C., said Ventura’s actions posed “a serious and unacceptable threat” and reaffirmed HSI’s commitment to targeting violent transnational gangs and their associates.