San Antonio Felons Charged with Stealing Firearms During Truck Burglaries

SAN ANTONIO – A group of felons were indicted Thursday, charged with burglarizing numerous Ford pickup trucks and stealing firearms and other items.

According to court documents, Alejandro Arias, 24; Andrew Riojas, 24; Victor Valenciana, 28, Aureliano Villarreal, 26; and Richard Hernandez, 24, all from San Antonio, were part of a burglary crew that targeted Ford pickup trucks between July 2021 and January 2022.  The group allegedly targeted Ford pickup trucks parked in high-traffic areas such as the parking lots of retail locations, malls and restaurants, stealing firearms and other high-value items, and occasionally stealing the trucks themselves.  The indictment alleges that, to evade law enforcement detection, the defendants rented vehicles, applied stolen license plates to them, and traveled to the burglary locations.  All five defendants are now in custody.

Each are charged with multiple counts, including conspiracy to receive and possess stolen firearms, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm.  The defendants have each made their initial court appearances and await trial, currently scheduled for January 2023. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to possess stolen firearms count and a maximum penalty of 10 years on the remaining counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Fred J. Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Houston Field Division made the announcement.

The ATF, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and San Antonio Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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