FORT WORTH, TX – An illegal alien from Mexico and a Fort Worth man have been indicted in the Northern District of Texas for allegedly conspiring to falsely acquire two high-capacity rifles from licensed firearms dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson announced the charges.
Oscar Guadalupe Cruz-Gonzalez, 28, a Mexican national, and Jose Juan Flores, 45, of Fort Worth, were charged by indictment on March 18, 2025. Both face counts of Conspiracy to Make False Statements to a Licensed Firearms Dealer and two counts of Acquiring a Firearm from Licensed Firearms Dealers by False or Fictitious Statement. Cruz-Gonzalez also faces a charge of Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien. The defendants made their initial court appearances on July 3 and July 7, respectively.
According to the indictment, in January and March of 2023, Cruz-Gonzalez allegedly paid Flores a total of approximately $2,500 to acquire two semi-automatic, gas-operated rifles from two separate licensed firearms dealers. These rifles reportedly have the capability to be belt-fed ammunition. Cruz-Gonzalez provided Flores with the substantial funds for the purchases—more than $10,000 for the first rifle and over $15,000 for the second.
Flores is accused of purchasing the firearms knowing he intended to transfer them to Cruz-Gonzalez. To conceal this, Flores allegedly made false statements on the required ATF Form, indicating he was the actual buyer. After purchasing the first rifle, Flores reportedly gave it to Cruz-Gonzalez, an illegal alien, for whom it is a federal offense to knowingly possess a firearm in the United States.
“A straw purchase means that someone bought a firearm for a person who they knew could not legally purchase one,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “Here, as we allege in the indictment, Flores used a significant amount of money to purchase two firearms for an illegal alien from Mexico. This type of crime flouts our gun laws, which are designed to ensure safe, lawful purchases of firearms by U.S. citizens. This will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims emphasized the seriousness of such offenses: “Straw purchasing is a federal crime that undermines the integrity of our nation’s firearm laws and enables dangerous individuals to obtain weapons they are prohibited from possessing. This case highlights the importance of our partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies to identify and stop illegal firearm trafficking before it results in violence.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Eggers is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. An indictment is merely an allegation, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
