Felon in Possession Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Mack Lopez Hinojosa, 26, of Corpus Christi, has been handed a 15-year sentence for his conviction of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with Melvin King Jr., special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Hinojosa entered a plea of guilty on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012.

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos sentenced Hinojosa to a total of 180 months in federal prison to be followed by a five-year-term of supervised release.

At the plea hearing, Hinojosa admitted that on June 16, 2012, he possessed a 9mm handgun loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. On that day, a citizen heard a disturbance outside his Corpus Christi residence and called 911. Corpus Christi police officers responded and found Hinojosa standing among a group of citizens holding a 9mm handgun. Hinojosa was yelling obscenities and appeared to be heavily intoxicated. An officer ordered Hinojosa several times to drop the weapon and get on the ground. Officers later found ammunition in Hinojosa‘s vehicle that matched the brand and caliber of the ammunition loaded into the gun he was brandishing. Hinojosa has prior convictions for aggravated assault, burglary of a habitation and assault on a public servant.

Hinojosa has been in custody since his arrest on June 16, 2012, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

This case was investigated by the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sam Brown IV.