LOS ANGELES
A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Compton man with a lengthy criminal history to 13 years in federal prison for firearms offenses, including dealing firearms without a license, according to officials.
U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner sentenced Francisco Juantonio Hilt, 39, after a jury found him and Sean Ronaldo Alexander, 37, of South Los Angeles, guilty in March of seven illegal gun transactions involving a total of 30 guns, including military-style weapons and stolen firearms.
The evidence at trial showed that the men believed they were supplying guns to the Armenian Mafia and the “Mexican Cartel,” and Hilt believed the buyer was a convicted felon.
Both Hilt and Alexander were found guilty of conspiracy and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. Hilt was also convicted of several counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and sale of a firearm to a convicted felon, according to officials.
On July 12, 2017, Judge Klausner sentenced Alexander to 24 months’ imprisonment.
A third co-conspirator – Jamie Maurice Thomas, 38, of South Los Angeles – plead guilty in November 2016 to conspiracy and selling a firearm to a convicted felon. Judge Klausner sentenced Thomas to 63 months in federal prison in March, officials said.