First Fast and Furious Defendant Sentenced to Less than Five Years in Prison

One of 20 defendants arrested in relation to Operation Fast and Furious was sentenced on Monday in San Diego to 57 months in prison.

Danny Cruz Morones pleaded guilty as a straw purchaser of Fast and Furious weapons, which included AK-47s, and recruited others to buy them. The San Diego office had to take the case because of the connections the Phoenix US Attorney’s office had to the ATF.

Fast and Furious was the federal gun walking operation that put over 2,000 guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Criminals have used these guns to murder Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and over 300 Mexican citizens.

Four AK-47s Mr. Morones bought “were seized by Mexican military officers in Tijuana in September 2010.” There were six AK-47s in that seizure that were purchased by an individual Mr. Morones recruited.

Mr. Morones bought 27 AK-47s and two of his recruitments bought 69 AK-47s.

While it’s important to note Mr. Morones was sent to jail for almost five years, his sentence rings hollow as no one with the Department of Justice has been held accountable for their actions. Federal employees implicated in the scandal were allowed to resign quietly or reassigned to another position. No one has been fired or arrested.