A judge sent a Mexican man to prison this month. He had a gun he was not allowed to have.
Erik Guadalupe Ibarra Venegas is 25 years old. His visa had run out. That means his time to legally be here was over. Federal law says a person like that cannot own or carry a gun.
Police found him on October 28, 2025. It happened in Hedwig Village. That is a small city near Houston. Officers say he was walking through a cul de sac. He had a pistol on him. It fired 5.56 caliber rounds.
When officers asked his name, he lied. He gave them a fake one.
Investigators later checked his fingerprints. That is how they learned his real name. It is also how they found out his visa had expired. After that, he no longer had the right to carry a gun.
Ibarra Venegas pleaded guilty on June 5, 2026.
A federal judge handed down the sentence. His name is Keith P. Ellison. Ibarra Venegas got 16 months in federal prison. The judge also made him pay a $100 fee.
Two federal prosecutors worked the case. Their names are Benjamin Smith and Byron Black.
Hedwig Village police did not work alone. Homeland Security agents helped out. So did agents from the ATF, a federal gun agency.
Ibarra Venegas will finish his prison time first. After that, the government plans to send him back to Mexico.