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BEAUMONT, Texas – A Port Arthur convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.

Lorenzo Antonio Salinas, 33, pleaded guilty on April 6, 2021, to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.

“Violent criminals like Lorenzo Salinas cannot be allowed to possess firearms,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “My office will never stop focusing our efforts on keeping Southeast Texas safe by aggressively prosecuting violations of federal firearms laws.”

According to information presented in court, on March 6, 2020, Salinas was the passenger of a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation.  The driver gave consent to search the vehicle during which time law enforcement officers discovered a pistol under the passenger seat.  Salinas admitted the pistol was his and that he was a convicted felon.  Further investigation revealed Salinas had been previously convicted of aggravated robbery in Jefferson County in 2007.  As such, he is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.  Salinas was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 22, 2021.

This case was prosecuted 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.

This case was investigated by the Port Arthur Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn.