Prosecutors charged a man Tuesday for allegedly selling illegal guns from Louisiana prison, ABC News reported.
Hayden Espinosa, 24-year-old from Corpus Christi, Texas, was charged with selling illegal firearms and parts from within a Louisiana prison, according to ABC News. Espinosa faces multiple felony counts, including transporting a firearm, machine gun, silencers, and a disguised gun. Further charges include attempted criminal sale of a firearm.
His alleged operation was uncovered during the investigation of the racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022, where shooter Payton Gendron targeted and killed 10 Black individuals, ABC News reported. Authorities traced Espinosa’s illicit trade to a Telegram channel named “3D Amendment,” which he allegedly managed from prison.
Man accused of peddling guns, gun parts from prison to extremists https://t.co/UdlyyYELkB pic.twitter.com/m1022V3nj5
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) June 11, 2024
The NYPD’s Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism squad discovered the channel while investigating the Buffalo shooting, though it has not been confirmed if Espinosa directly sold guns to Gendron, the outlet reported. Over the course of their investigation, undercover NYPD officers bought firearms and parts from Espinosa on three occasions between August and Nov. 2023. (RELATED: ‘Would’ve Shot Me’: Black Man Who Bought The Alleged Buffalo Shooter A Drink Speaks Out)
The channel not only facilitated the sale of firearms and modifications but also reportedly propagated racially and ethnically motivated extremist ideologies, the outlet stated. The channel’s content and discussions were allegedly steeped in Neo-Nazi and white supremacist thought, and aligned with accelerationism, a belief endorsing violence to destabilize society and reshape it according to extreme right-wing views.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – MAY 19: Payton Gendron arrives for a hearing at the Erie County Courthouse on May 19, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. Gendron is accused of killing 10 people and wounding another 3 during a shooting at a Tops supermarket on May 14 in Buffalo. The attack was believed to be motivated by racial hatred. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Espinosa and other members of the channel would advertise the sale of illegal firearms and gun parts, including silencers, high-capacity magazines, Glock-style handguns and auto sears,” according to a statement released Tuesday by prosecutors, ABC News reported. “Several participants purchased firearms and parts from Espinosa and posted about the purchases in his channel.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pointed out the alarming connection between Espinosa’s activities and extremist ideologies during a press conference where he announced the charges.
“The combination of extremism and firearms is incredibly dangerous and threatens the safety of New Yorkers,” Bragg said in a statement, ABC News reported.
Espinosa, who was already serving a 33-month sentence for related offenses, was released from the Federal Correctional Complex in Pollock, Louisiana, only to be immediately re-arrested on the New York State Supreme Court indictment, according to ABC News.