Federal Jury Convicts Sheriff’s Deputy for Providing Firearm to a Felon

DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Johnny Alvarado 33, of Lakewood, was found guilty of providing a firearm to a felon.  A federal jury in Denver returned a guilty verdict against Alvarado on Monday, March 4, 2024.

According to the facts established at trial, a United States probation officer made a routine home visit to Kyle Garcia, a felon on supervised release. While there, the probation officer located a loaded firearm in a closet.  During that visit, Garcia admitted to having the firearm, handling it, and racking the slide to see if there was ammunition in the firearm.  Garcia received the firearm from his brother-in-law, Johnny Alvarado, an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy.  Alvarado admitted to the probation officer that he provided the firearm to Garcia knowing he was a felon. 

Garcia pled to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 66 months of probation.  Alvarado will be sentenced at a later date.

United States District Court Judge John L. Kane presided over the jury trial.

The ATF conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Celeste Rangel and Aurora Special Assistant United States Attorney Leah Perczak handled the prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Case Number: 23-CR-00271-JLK