Belizean Sentenced in US After Lying During Attempted Gun Purchase

A Belizean national has been sentenced to fourteen months in prison in the United States after pleading guilty to making a false statement during an attempted firearm purchase.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont says thirty-four-year-old Reginald Adam Velasquez was sentenced on July 14 by US District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier.  According to US court records, Velasquez entered the United States without authorization in 2022 and was later granted parole. Prosecutors say he failed to comply with the conditions of that parole in early 2025, resulting in the termination of his immigration proceedings.  Approximately nine months later, Velasquez attempted to purchase a firearm from a federally licensed dealer in Vermont. Authorities say he completed a required ATF form and knowingly provided false information concerning his immigration status.  US prosecutors further allege that a subsequent investigation linked Velasquez to drug dealing in Vermont during the summer and fall of 2025, including an incident in which he reportedly exchanged a firearm for drugs. The release does not indicate that he was convicted of any separate drug offence in connection with those allegations.  The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Katherine Flynn, while Velasquez was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon.  The prosecution formed part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide US Department of Justice initiative focused on immigration enforcement, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.