Gang Member Linked to Four Drive-By Shootings Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison
A gang member involved in several drive-by shootings in Dallas was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
Rafael Rubi, 24, pleaded guilty in September to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, federal agents were able to link shell casings found at the scenes of at least four drive-by shootings in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood to firearms found in Mr. Rubi’s home and car.
In plea papers, Mr. Rubi, a member of the street gang La Familia Homeboy, admitted he was involved in all four drive-by shootings, including one shooting that targeted a driver previously involved in a car accident with Mr. Rubi’s girlfriend and another shooting that targeted the driver’s family members.
In total, approximately 119 cartridge casings were recovered at the scenes of the shootings.
The majority of the casings were later linked to two Glock pistols – one found stashed in a toilet tank in Mr. Rubi’s apartment (along with heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia), and another recovered from his Ford Mustang during a traffic stop hours after the final shooting.
During that traffic stop, officers observed Mr. Rubi’s passenger making “furtive movements” toward the floorboard, where they later located the loaded Glock pistol. Mr. Rubi admits he handed the Glock to the passenger and asked him to hide it.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebekah Ricketts and Gary Tromblay prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade handed down the sentence.
