Politics & Government
Tucson Firearms Dealer Sentenced To More Than Six Years
Timothy Veninga pleaded guilty to paying people to act as "straw men" who filled out paperwork to buy guns that were purchased by others.

TUCSON, AZ – A second man has been sentenced in what prosecutors described as a scheme to sell weapons to members of Mexican drug cartels so they could smuggle them across the border. Timothy Veninga received 78 months in prison.
Veninga pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, identity theft, tampering and other charges.
Along with a former Tucson police officer – Joe Valles – Veninga was charged with paying people to complete ATF forms showing they were purchasing weapons when the weapons were actually sold to cartel members.
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Federal officials tracked at least 31 fraudulent transactions involving 24 semi-automatic pistols and seven rifles.
The former Tucson police officer, Valles, also received 78 months in prison.
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