anti-gang anti-gun advocate pleads no contest to suppling weapons to gangs

[Mike80]

Founder of Anti-Gun Group Pleads No Contest to Weapons Charges


LOS ANGELES ? A former gang member who founded an anti-violence group called No Guns has pleaded no contest to federal weapons charges.

Hector "Big Weasel" Marroquin, 51, and co-defendant Sylvia Arrellano, 25, entered pleas Thursday for three counts of manufacture, distribution and transport for sale of an unlawful assault weapon.

Arrellano also pleaded no contest to machine gun conversion and possessing a silencer and acknowledged that the crime was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

She was given until Tuesday to surrender for sentencing and would likely be sentenced to four years in prison, prosecutors said.

Marroquin attorney Patrick Smith did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Thursday. No phone listing was available for Arrellano.

Marroquin was arrested in June at his Downey home following a nine-month investigation into weapons sales by the 18th Street gang, to which he once belonged.

Arrellano was arrested at a Cudahy home as a result of the same investigation

Marroquin founded No Guns in 1996, ostensibly to reduce gang and gun violence. The group received $1.5 million from the city as a subcontractor on anti-gang efforts but its contract was canceled last year after authorities learned that Marroquin had hired relatives, including his son, Hector "Little Weasel" Marroquin.

Irony of all ironies

FOXNews.com - Founder of Anti-Gun Group Pleads No Contest to Weapons Charges - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

 

[OCBuckWife]

FoxNews didn't say when the alleged crime took place. Here's an article with more information.

Marroquin was arrested last year in Hawthorne on weapons charges in a case that is still pending.
In 1998, Marroquin was tried and acquitted of weapons charges. In the most recent case, Marroquin was arrested at his Downey home following a nine-month investigation into weapons sales by the 18th Street gang. He is accused of selling the weapons to the undercover officers last September, October and November.

And more here.

 

[Mike80]

FoxNews didn't say when the alleged crime took place. Here's an article with more information.

I didn't want to use the Freaker thread as a source though

And more here.

I kept searching for other stories about it but all I could find (it figures I didn't look at the LAT for some reason ), was the FoxNews story.....

 

[OCBuckWife]

I didn't want to use the Freaker thread as a source though

Not an accredited source no, but more info. It wasn't a ding at you anyway, just added my two cents worth of research. Mostly because my first reply was "bah, no info, when was the charge, blah blah" and then I realized I should answer my own question.

 

[Mike80]

Not an accredited source no, but more info. It wasn't a ding at you anyway, just added my two cents worth of research. Mostly because my first reply was "bah, no info, when was the charge, blah blah" and then I realized I should answer my own question.

I understand.....

I was going to post this story this morning after I got off work, but I thought it was missing a couple things so I didn't. When no one had posted it during the day I went ahead and did it....