A Central Florida man was sentenced for firearms trafficking.
United States District Judge Thomas Patrick Barber sentenced 50-year-old Jose G. Medina, of Leesburg, to 37 months in federal prison for knowingly making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and causing a Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) to maintain false information in its official records.
According to court records, between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina illegally straw-purchased multiple firearms from FFLs in the Middle District of Florida for other individuals. Some of these firearms were later intercepted by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as other individuals attempted to transport them across the United States’ border into Mexico.
On May 27, 2023, an individual was encountered by CBP as he tried to make entry into Mexico at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry. He was attempting to bring 10 handguns, nine rifles, seven shotguns, 20 ammunition magazines, and large amounts of assorted ammunition into Mexico. The individual stated that he was traveling from Orlando, Florida, to San Diego de la Union, Guanajuato, Mexico – an area where Mexican cartels are fighting for control of the territory. Medina had purchased one of these recovered firearms nine days earlier.
On November 17, 2023, CBP officers stopped another individual at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry who also was attempting to bring five firearms into Mexico. Medina had purchased two of these firearms less than two weeks earlier.
A record check by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) showed that between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina had purchased 82 firearms for a total of $42,085.61—an amount that exceeded his reported annual income. The investigation also revealed that another firearm purchased by an associate of Medina had recently been recovered and electronically traced by Mexican law enforcement using ATF’s e-Trace system.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Eustis Police Department, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson. Medina pleaded guilty on March 5, 2025.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
