Caldwell Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Unlawful Possession of Firearm

BOISE—Baldemar Arteaga, Jr., 28, ofCaldwell, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Boiseto 84 months in prison for unlawfully possessing two shotguns, U.S. AttorneyWendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also orderedArteaga to serve three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to thecharge on July 2, 2012.
According to court documents, onFebruary 24, 2011, Arteaga and his co-defendant sold two shotguns—a sawed-offSmith & Wesson 12-gauge shotgun and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun with anobliterated serial number—to another individual for $200 at Arteaga’s residencein Caldwell. Artega is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2005conviction in Minidoka County, Idaho for felony possession of a controlledsubstance.
Co-defendant Jennifer Ann Hillyard, 28,of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced in July to 51 months for her role in the sale ofthe shotguns.
The case was investigated by theTreasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, a task force comprised oflocal and federal law enforcement agencies in the Treasure Valley, includingthe Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, andExplosives, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, CaldwellPolice Department, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho Department ofCorrection, Meridian Police Department, and Nampa Police Department. It wasprosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure ValleyPartnership and the State of Idaho, and housed in the Canyon CountyProsecutor’s Office, to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnershipcomprises a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regionalcoordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regionalgrowth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.