Marlboro man gets five years after admitting to role in gun trafficking conspiracy
MARLBORO - A township man was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday after admitting to participating in a gun trafficking conspiracy and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Javier Rodriguez-Valpais, 33, of the Morganville section of Marlboro, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking and one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, officials said.
Rodriguez-Valpais, also known as “Broly,” was part of a gun trafficking conspiracy that spanned from Florida to New Jersey between May and September of 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
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He was accused of selling a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle to co-defendant Enrique Quijada in Florida after an FBI informant purchased the gun from Quijada in Monmouth County, officials said.
Rodriguez-Valpais will also be subject to three years of supervised release.
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Quijada, 24, of Freehold, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking, possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States and distribution of cocaine on December 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
His sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2022.
Nicolas Fernandes is the early morning breaking news reporter. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he has previously worked as a features writer and sports reporter. Contact him at 732-540-4401 or nfernandes@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Marlboro man sentenced on gun trafficking, possession charges
