TUCSON, Ariz. – Yesterday, Joe Santiago Valles, 34, of Tucson, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto to 78 months in prison. Valles had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, aiding and abetting false statements in firearms transactions, tampering, tampering with a witness, and identity theft.

Beginning in October 2015 through April 20, 2016, Joe Valles was a business partner with a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Tucson, Ariz. The FFL and Valles used the identities of individuals, who were not purchasing firearms, to submit ATF Forms 4473 claiming they were the purchasers. ATF Form 4473 is required to legally purchase or acquire firearms from FFLs. The FFL and Valles used the fraudulent forms to conceal the identities of the true buyers. The conspiracy involved a total of 35 firearm transactions, including 24 semi-automatic pistols and rifles. Valles was working as a Tucson Police officer when he stole the identities of two individuals he had contact with through his official duties. Twenty-nine firearm transactions listed these two individuals as buyers when, in fact, they were not the purchasers. To date, one of the firearms was intercepted at the Nogales Port of Entry and a second firearm, a .50 caliber semi-automatic rifle, was seized by Mexican authorities.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance by Customs and Border Protection. The prosecution was handled by Serra M. Tsethlikai and Karen E. Rolley, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER: CR-16-01059-TUC-JAS

RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-058_Valles

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