Hobbs Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Federal Firearms Violations
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Ruben Flores, 41, of Hobbs, New Mexico, was sentenced on Sept. 2 to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Flores pleaded guilty on April 23.
According to court records, on July 5, 2019, law enforcement responded to reports of shots fired on Dunham Street in Hobbs. Later that day, officers investigating the incident located Flores in his vehicle with a rifle on his lap. During a search of the vehicle, officers found three more firearms and several rounds of ammunition.
At the time of the incident, Flores had previously been convicted of several felonies, including forgery, trafficking a controlled substance, receiving stolen property, battery on a peace officer, possession of a controlled substance, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm or explosive device by a felon. As a previously convicted felon, Flores cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
Upon his release from prison, Flores will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Hobbs Police Department and the Lea County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joni Autrey Stahl and Richard Williams prosecuted the case.
