Jacksonville Man With Domestic Violence And Felony Convictions Indicted For Illegally Trying To Buy A Firearm

Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Jose Dominguez (50, Jacksonville) with making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of a firearm. If convicted, Dominguez faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

According to the indictment, Dominguez completed an ATF Form 4473 during the attempted purchase of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Dominguez indicated on the required paperwork that he had not been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and that he had not been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment. According to court records, Dominguez was previously convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery in Duval County and three crimes punishable by more than one year of imprisonment in Miami-Dade County, including grand theft and two drug offenses.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

This is another case uncovered through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). All NICS denials are reported to federal law enforcement and are reviewed daily for potential criminal prosecution. Federal law makes it a felony offense to make a false statement to a firearms dealer when trying to buy a gun.  

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.