ATF NEWS: Firearm Trafficking Orlando Florida, BAD CHOICE!
By Gregory Kielma
Seven Individuals Sentenced In Central Florida Gun Trafficking Scheme
Seven Individuals Sentenced In Central Florida Gun Trafficking Scheme
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
Orlando, Florida –
Seven members of a gun trafficking scheme have been sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roy. B. Dalton. Six of the individuals pleaded guilty. Jincheng Shi was convicted by a jury. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. The convictions and sentences are listed below:
Name (Age, City of Residence) Convictions Sentence Date Sentence Imposed
Victor Manuel LaFontaine Ruiz
(32, Poinciana) Gun trafficking conspiracy
Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence 2/6/2026 17 years, 4 months
Jose Emanuel Maldonado Rodriguez
(33, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy
Possession of machinegun 1/21/2026 5 years, 6 months
Freddie Geovani Cruz Batiz
(37, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy
Possession of machinegun 10/28/2025 7 years, 3 months
Jomar Manuel Lopez Montanez
(31, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy
Felon in possession of a firearm 8/11/2025 7 years, 8 months
Derrick Yamil Rivera Robles
(30, Kissimmee) Gun trafficking conspiracy
Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting
Possession of machinegun 12/4/2025 3 years, 10 months
Leonardo David Joseph Guerra
(24, Orlando) Gun trafficking conspiracy
Possession of a firearm by an illegal alien 2/23/2026 4 years
Jincheng Shi
(28, St. Cloud), Unlicensed gun dealing, aiding and abetting
Possession of a firearm as an alien admitted under a non-immigrant visa 4/21/2026 7 years
According to court documents, from at least as early as September 2023 onward, Lafontaine and Maldonado operated a gun trafficking ring involving hundreds of firearms, machineguns, machinegun conversion devices, and high-capacity magazines needed for fully automatic weapons. This operation did not involve any federally licensed firearms dealers. Instead, Lafontaine and Maldonado obtained firearms parts, including from Shi, a Chinese national who was admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa in 2022, which places him in a prohibited class of persons not legally allowed to possess firearms. Lafontaine and Maldonado assembled, manufactured, and modified semi-automatic and automatic firearms using a “ghost gunner” machine and specialized “endmill” drilling devices at a workspace on Maldonado’s property in Kissimmee.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police Department, the Winter Garden Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Apopka Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Felicetta and Dana Hill.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Updated April 22, 2026