SOUTH BEND — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
SOUTH BEND – Julio Rangel-Jimenez, 41 years old, of Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to two felony counts of Illegal Alien Unlawfully in Possession of a Firearm and Reentry of Removed Alien, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Rangel-Jimenez was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
According to documents in the case, Rangel-Jimenez was removed from the United States in February of 2025. He illegally reentered the United States and was arrested on July 22, 2025, in Fulton County, Indiana, following a traffic stop. Police found two handguns, two rifles with large capacity magazines, and about 19 grams of cocaine in the house where he was living. Because he was unlawfully in the United States, he was prohibited from possessing any firearms.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with assistance from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah T Jones.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
