A former member of the California National Guard who was part of a counter-drug task force shared information about upcoming raids with a drug dealer and trafficked a untraceable firearms to her colleagues, according to federal prosecutors.
Ruby Celly Uribe, 37, of Sacramento, was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of unlawfully possessing a machine gun and an unregistered short-barreled rifle, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
But during the trial, it was also revealed that Uribe leaked information about upcoming drug raids to a person she knew was involved with drug dealing, while she was a member of the task force, according to the news release. Cellphone text messages recovered in the operation from the drug dealer’s phone revealed that Uribe was sharing sensitive information, including the time and location of the possible drug raids and how many units would be responding.
The firearms were found through a federal search warrant of her home. The short-barreled rifle was deemed unlawful because it did not meet the minimum federal requirement of 16 inches. In addition, the rifle had been modified to fire in full-automatic mode as a machine gun and did not have a serial number — commonly known as a ghost gun. More cellphone data also revealed that Uribe was engaging in trafficking other ghost guns, including to a coworker on July 20, 2022.
While preparing for the case, the FBI learned that Uribe sold another illegal firearm in August 2022, officials said. The firearms have been safely recovered.
Uribe is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins on Sept. 11, and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, at the discretion of the court and the federal sentencing guidelines.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting illegal immigration and drug crimes.
