Idaho Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm

POCATELLO – An Idaho Falls man pled guilty to felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on October 13, 2020, the Idaho State Police stopped a vehicle, which had been reported stolen, on I-15 in Bonneville County. During the traffic stop, law enforcement contacted Jonathan Manuel Martinez, 31, of Idaho Falls, who was the driver and sole occupant. Martinez informed law enforcement that there was a shotgun in the front seat of the vehicle. Law enforcement recovered a short-barreled shotgun. Martinez had previously been convicted of a felony offense and was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Martinez faces up to ten years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. His sentencing is set for February 8, 2022 in front of Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the collaborative efforts of the Idaho State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which led to the charges.

This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.

The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.

This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 186 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 40 have been indicted for prohibited person in possession of firearm charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 7,646 months (approximately 637 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 53.4 months (4.45 years). Defendants indicted for prohibited person in possession of a firearm cases serve, on average, approximately 41 months (3.42 years) in federal prison.

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