CHICAGO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
CHICAGO — An illegal alien has pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge after he fired shots near U.S. Border Patrol agents during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago last fall.
HECTOR GOMEZ admitted in a plea agreement that he was driving a Jeep Wrangler in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago on Nov. 8, 2025, when he discharged at least two rounds from a handgun. Gomez fired the shots in proximity of Border Patrol agents who were engaged in the performance of their official duties, the plea agreement states. Gomez had previously been convicted of a felony firearm offense in the Circuit Court of Cook County and was prohibited under federal law from possessing a gun.
Gomez admitted that later the same day, he brandished the handgun at an individual in a parking lot a few blocks from where he fired the shots.
Gomez pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of illegal possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The conviction is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set sentencing for July 20, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.
Gomez, 46, is a citizen of Mexico who had been residing in Chicago. He has no claim to United States citizenship or lawful permanent residence and is now subject to removal.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill J. Bhalakia.
