Lake County Man Gets Four Years in Prison for Firearms Trafficking

OCALA, Florida — Fernando Munguia, Jr., 24, of Leesburg, was sentenced to four years in federal prison Tuesday for making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and causing a federal firearms licensee to maintain false records.

U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber imposed the term after Munguia pleaded guilty on January 26, 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges stemmed from Munguia’s direct violations of federal firearms purchase requirements that mandate truthful identification and background information on ATF Form 4473.

The sentence covers both counts: the false statement itself and the resulting falsification of the dealer’s official records. Federal law requires licensed dealers to maintain accurate acquisition and disposition records for 20 years; each false entry creates a permanent gap in the traceability chain used by law enforcement to track crime guns.

Munguia must serve the full four-year term followed by three years of supervised release. The judgment takes effect immediately upon designation to a Bureau of Prisons facility. No fine amount or restitution figure was disclosed in the sentencing release.

This marks the latest federal prosecution targeting straw purchases and false statements that allow prohibited persons or traffickers to acquire firearms through licensed channels. The Department of Justice has pursued such cases in the Middle District of Florida as part of its broader effort to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking pipelines that supply guns to violent crime.

Downstream, the conviction requires the Bureau of Prisons to classify and house Munguia for the duration of his term. Federal probation officers will assume supervision responsibilities in 2030. The falsified records cited in the case remain part of the permanent ATF database, preserving a documented violation that investigators can reference in any linked trafficking probes.

The plea and sentence conclude a prosecution that began with Munguia’s arrest and culminated in guilty pleas less than five months before final judgment.