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ST. THOMAS — Javier Enrique Lima pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing and transporting a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and departing a customs facility without authorization, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According to information provided in court and in court documents, on February 3, 2020, Lima presented himself at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Red Hook ferry terminal after returning from Tortola, British Virgin Islands. A CBP Officer working the x-ray machine noticed a firearm in the backpack Lima brought with him, and called for another officer. Lima immediately fled the facility on foot, leaving his backpack. The backpack contained a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Law enforcement agents made multiple efforts to locate Lima, but were unable to do so. He later turned himself in.
The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and will be sentenced at a later date.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and by Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donna Rainwater.
