Jorge Luis Castelan, Jr., 32, has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Castelan pleaded guilty on April 13, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on April 4, 2024.
According to court information, on the early morning of May 15, 2022, Beaumont police responded to a domestic disturbance on Dogwood Lane. Dispatch directed officers to be on the lookout for an armed man driving a silver pickup truck. Officers arrived on the scene to find Castelan next to a silver pickup, armed with an assault-style rifle equipped with a fully-loaded, large-capacity magazine. Castelan, a convicted felon of aggravated robbery in Jefferson County, was taken into custody. A federal grand jury indicted Castelan on Oct. 5, 2022. Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs stated, “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. 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.”
The investigation was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. 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.
