Valley man sentenced for identity theft, smuggling firearms

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Brownsville man has been sentenced for identity theft and plot to smuggle firearms, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

Leonardo Barroso, 32, plead guilty on June 9, 2022.

Barroso was ordered by U.S. District Judge David S. Morales to serve over nine years in federal prison.

Barroso worked as a door-to-door salesman and used his customers personal information to purchase firearms in San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Over 20 firearms were purchased to be smuggled into Mexico and delivered to cartel members.

On Feb. 7, 2022, Barroso purchased a firearm from a dealer in Corpus Christi using a Social Security number that belonged to a known victim of identity theft. He also used the stolen identification to purchase a firearm for a third party to smuggle into Mexico.

He additionally provided false and misleading statements to the firearms dealer upon completing the required paperwork for the purchase.

Barroso admitted he was transporting other firearms out of the United States. He served as a facilitator by recruiting Mexican nationals to purchase numerous firearms from dealers in Texas to be smuggled into Mexico.

Barroso will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.