Six foreign nationals indicted in Kentucky federal courts on gun, immigration charges

Federal grand juries in Bowling Green and Paducah indicted six people on immigration and gun offenses last week.

According to the indictments, four people were charged in Paducah:

Santos Pastor-Juarez, 52, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with reentry after deportation or removal. At or around April 28, investigators say he was found in the United States after he was denied admission, excluded, deported and removed from the U.S. around March 6, 1998. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Ulises Macario Gonzaga-Guillen, 32, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with four counts of making false written statements intended to deceive a licensed firearms dealer. On the form, investigators say he falsely stated he was not an alien illegally or unlawfully in the U.S. He was also charged with falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen while being an illegal alien in possession of firearms on two occasions in McCracken and Marshall counties. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 73 years in prison.

Rodrigo Waldemarr Caal-Caal, 22, a citizen of Guatemala, and Rodolfo Ruiz-Hernandez, 27, a citizen of Mexico, were charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Investigators say the two admitted to having a gun while talking with Mayfield police during a death investigation. If convicted, both face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Two people were charged in Bowling Green:

Artemio Ruiz-Medina, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with reentry after deportation or removal. Investigators say he was found in the U.S. around April 13 after having been denied admission, excluded, deported or removed from the country in 2003, 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2023. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Zhouchen Yan, 29, a citizen of China, was charged with three counts of making false written statements intended to deceive a licensed firearms dealer. On the form, investigators say Yan falsely stated he was not an alien illegally or unlawfully in the U.S. Investigators say this happened between October 2023 and December 2024 in Warren County. If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.