A former Army recruiter pleaded guilty Monday for selling dozens of assault rifles to Mexico's Gulf Cartel criminal syndicate, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Army Sgt. Julian Prezas pled guilty in two separate cases to five counts of lying on federal firearms forms and attempted export of defense articles to Mexico. He faces a disciplinary discharge from the military over the case, according to the report.
Prezas said he acquired 42 guns, but a co-defendant who became an informant told the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that Prezas sold him 13 AR-15s, around 50 to 60 AK-47s and a shotgun.
The co-defendant also said he bought 1,000 magazines of ammunition from Prezas after he posted on a Facebook group that he was selling them. Prezas also sold him rifles that had the serial numbers wiped out.
A separate informant bought guns from Prezas in August 2015, paid $61,000 and told him specifically that they would be going to the Gulf Cartel. But in Prezas' plea deal, he said he thought the firearms would be going to Mexico to a "cartel or something."
George Dombart, Prezas' lawyer, said his client did not understand gun sale laws. "Sometimes, the line gets blurred on public versus private sales. Once he became aware that his conduct was illegal, he accepted responsibility," Dombart said.
Sentencing is set for March 23 and Prezas could get up to 10 years for lying on federal forms, and up to 20 on the attempted export of the firearms, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
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