Teodoro Rodriguez-Alvarez, a 34-year-old Mexican national, has pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “This criminal alien has brazenly and repeatedly violated our laws while illegally present in our country. I deeply appreciate the work of our local law enforcement partners and Homeland Security Investigations to stop his flagrant criminal behavior. My office remains committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the criminal aliens who violate our federal laws by prosecuting those offenders to the fullest extent.”
According to court records, on July 15, 2025, a Gulf Breeze Police Department officer responded to a report about a pickup truck stopped in the emergency lane on the Pensacola Bay Bridge. Upon arrival, officers identified Rodriguez-Alvarez as the sole occupant using his Mexican passport. After speaking with him, he was arrested for multiple driving offenses. A subsequent vehicle inventory revealed a pistol inside a bag near the driver’s seat. Authorities confirmed that Rodriguez-Alvarez is a citizen of Mexico and was unlawfully present in the United States.
Rodriguez-Alvarez could face up to 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by both the Gulf Breeze Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp is prosecuting.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which is an initiative that uses resources from several Department of Justice programs—including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)—to address illegal immigration, target cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is among 94 offices nationwide that act as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. More information can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
