A 37-year-old Alton man, identified as Juan Manuel Teran Jr., also known as El Blunt, has been ordered to serve time in federal prison after being found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Teran pleaded guilty to the charges on June 22. Following his plea, Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now handed down a 57-month federal prison sentence for Teran, to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, the court considered additional information about Teran's history, which included prior convictions for robbery, repeated assaults on women, and felony drug possession. Judge Crane also noted that Teran was engaged in narcotics trafficking at the time he was found in possession of firearms.
The case against Teran began in January when law enforcement responded to a domestic violence call at a residence in McAllen. This incident led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Teran on charges of assault on a pregnant person. Upon Teran's arrest, authorities discovered that he was in possession of multiple illegal substances, including meth, cocaine, marijuana, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, and heroin. In addition to the drugs, he was also found to have two firearms in his possession.
As a convicted felon, Teran was in violation of federal law that prohibits individuals with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Teran's prosecution was part of Operation: Knock Down, a joint initiative launched in 2022 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Attorney's Office. This operation focuses on targeting armed and violent offenders in the Rio Grande Valley, directing federal resources to address these issues in the region.
