Colorado felon returned to prison for selling guns on social media
A 34-year-old Denver man recently pleaded guilty to selling guns through a raffle he ran on social media.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigated Leonel Castillo's private Facebook group and concluded Castillo was purchasing and re-selling handguns and rifles between September 2022 and May 2023.
Castillo, after a 2014 arrest in Denver, received a six-year state prison sentence for drug possession with intent to distribute. Following that felony conviction, he was not licensed to deal firearms.
Nor was Castillo legally allowed to possess a firearm due to that conviction. But federal investigators did not find proof that Castillo physically handled the guns during his buying and selling. Instead, investigators believed Castillo purchased them from private parties and licensed dealers and had a pair of federally licensed colleagues hold them until sale.
According to the plea agreement in Castillo's case, Castillo sold chances to win the guns to customers in the private group. Castillo sometimes conducted the raffle drawings in a live video, then instructed the winner to contact his licensed colleagues.
Castillo also sold shoes, sports tickets and "other luxury items" through his online raffle. It was, according to investigators, operated as a business by Castillo and his "livelihood."
One that he knew was illegal, per prosecutors.
In March 2024, Castillo pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license. On Jan. 14, he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison.
"Criminals who deal firearms illegally can't escape consequences by using social media as their marketplace," U.S. Attorney Matt Kirsch stated in a press release. "I am grateful that our partners at the ATF were able to investigate this unusual scheme and that our office was able to bring this person to justice."
Castillo also agreed to forfeit at least eight guns - a 1911 Colt .45, an FN 5.56 rifle, a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun, a .45/410 gauge Taurus Judge, a .22 caliber German Sport rifle, a 5.56 Smith & Wesson rifle, a Century Arms 7.62 rifle, and a Hugulu Cooperative 12 gauge shotgun - and ammunition as part of the plea agreement.
The exact number of firearms sold by Castillo was not determined during the ATF's investigation. Castillo told the court his offense involved 25-99 firearms. Investigators believed the number of guns was between 100 and 200.
U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y Wang gave Castillo 15 days to report to a federal prison to begin serving his sentence. Judge Wang suggested he be located in a Colorado prison to facilitate regular contact with his family. She required Castillo to undergo drug rehabilitation while in prison and to be placed under supervised probation for three years after his release.
