Area man sentenced to 4+ years for illegal possession of fully loaded assault-style rifle

Published 12:08 am Sunday, April 7, 2024

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BEAUMONT — A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation, U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs announced last week.
Jorge Luis Castelan Jr., 32, pleaded guilty April 13, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone sentenced Castelan Thursday to 57 months in federal prison.

According to information presented in court, during the early morning hours of May 15, 2022, Beaumont police responded to a domestic disturbance on Dogwood Lane in Beaumont.

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The 9-1-1 dispatcher advised the officers to look for a man who was armed and driving a silver pickup truck.

Moments later when the officers arrived they found Castelan next to a silver pickup in possession of an assault-style rifle equipped with a fully-loaded, large-capacity magazine.

After Castelan was taken into custody it was determined that he was previously convicted of aggravated robbery in Jefferson County.

A federal grand jury indicted Castelan Oct. 5, 2022.

Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.

“This case is emblematic of our commitment to utilize our violent crime prosecutors and our partner agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate and prosecute criminals who illegally possess guns in connection with domestic abuse,” Diggs said.

“The long-lasting effects of domestic violence, dating violence and intimate partner violence are obviously amplified when firearms are involved.  In this case, the quick response of the Beaumont Police Department defused a potentially deadly situation.”

This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.