22 hours ago
stltoday.com

Emilio Barrios-Cortez, 38, pleaded guilty Dec. 20 to a weapons charge and entering the country illegally from Mexico.

According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton, Barrios-Cortez, a Mexican citizen who most recently lived in Madison, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien and entry into the United States without inspection.

Barrios-Cortez was arrested Aug. 23 when federal agents went into a Madison residence in an attempt to arrest two people as part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Barrios-Cortez was found with a sawed-off shotgun and admitted he entered the country illegally in October 2002 near Douglas, Ariz.

Barrios-Cortez faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, fines of more than $250,000 and other penalties. He has already agreed to a deportation order after the end of his sentence.

Illegal immigrant pleads guilty on gun charge : Sj