ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man, and federally licensed firearms dealer, alongside two co-conspirators, has plead guilty to firearms trafficking following a joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando.
Matthew L. Stephen Easton, 35, of Melrose, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 24, 2025. Easton’s co-defendants, Derick Yamir Perez Diaz, 22, of Orlando, and Ernesto Vasquez, 23, of Kissimmee, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. They each also face a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Perez Diaz and Vasquez are scheduled to be sentenced on March 25 and April 8, 2025, respectively.
According to the plea agreements, Easton supplied Perez Diaz with large quantities of firearms, despite knowing that Perez Diaz was dealing in firearms without a license. Perez Diaz, in turn, trafficked those firearms to Vasquez who resold them and smuggled them out of the country. Between October and December 2023, more than 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles were trafficked. Additionally, Vasquez and Perez Diaz admitted to trafficking machinegun conversion devices.
On April 18, 2024, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Vazquez’s residence and found multiple firearms, stockpiles of ammunition, and grenades.
This case was investigated by the ATF-E, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and HSI Orlando. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Dana E. Hill.
HSI Tampa’s area of responsibility, which includes 10 geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the 10 largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.
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