Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
McALLEN, Texas – A 34-year-old man has been ordered to prison for possessing firearms while a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
David Michael Saenz pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Saenz to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
On Sept. 11, 2024, law enforcement stopped Saenz for a traffic violation, at which time they also smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Saenz admitted he was in possession of firearms.
A search revealed two handguns in his waistband and two additional firearms in his vehicle. Authorities also found meth and marijuana in the vehicle.
Further investigation revealed Saenz was previously convicted of aggravated robbery in 2021. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law. Saenz also admitted to possessing one of the firearms to protect himself while engaging in drug dealing.
Saenz has been and will remain in custody pending his transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration and Rio Grande City Police Department conducted the joint investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
