A former California National Guard member, Ruby Celly Uribe, was convicted by a jury of unlawfully possessing a machine gun and an unregistered short-barreled rifle after federal prosecutors said she shared sensitive information about upcoming drug raids with
The phone messages were the proof the case needed—texts that, federal prosecutors say, turned an operation meant to stop drug trafficking into something a dealer could prepare for. By the time the firearms were recovered at Ruby Celly Uribe’s home, the damage to trust was already done.
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 U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.
During the trial, prosecutors also described conduct that went beyond the weapons charge. They said Uribe leaked information about upcoming drug raids to someone she knew was involved in drug dealing while she was a member of a counter-drug task force.
The account prosecutors presented centered on cellphone text messages recovered in the operation from the drug dealer’s phone. Those messages. prosecutors said. showed Uribe sharing sensitive information. including the time and location of the possible drug raids and how many units would be responding.
The firearms tied directly to the case were found through a federal search warrant of Uribe’s home. Prosecutors said the short-barreled rifle was unlawful because it did not meet the minimum federal requirement of 16 inches. They also said 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.
The jury also heard that the pattern wasn’t limited to the devices recovered in the search. Federal prosecutors said additional cellphone data showed Uribe engaging in trafficking other ghost guns, including to a coworker on July 20, 2022.
While prosecutors were 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. She faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, at the discretion of the court and under federal sentencing guidelines.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting illegal immigration and drug crimes.
Ruby Celly Uribe Sacramento California National Guard ghost gun machine gun conviction short-barreled rifle FBI drug raids counter-drug task force Operation Take Back America Dena Coggins cellphone texts