FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Maryland Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison on Federal Firearms Charges

Defendant Apprehended in Undercover Investigation 

            WASHINGTON – Wilber Vigil-Benitez, 26, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for unlawfully possessing and trafficking firearms, including an assault rifle and a semi-automatic handgun with a large capacity magazine. 

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Vigil-Benitez, also known as “Solitario,” pleaded guilty in November 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to seven counts of illegal possession of firearms. He was sentenced on May 4, 2022, by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

            The charges against Vigil-Benitez, who was affiliated with MS-13, arose from a law enforcement investigation that showed that he sold firearms illegally in Washington, D.C.  In particular, from September 2017 to April 2018, he sold a total of 13 firearms to undercover officers with the Metropolitan Police Department. The transactions occurred outside a convenience store in Southwest Washington. The weapons included stolen firearms, an assault rifle, and a semi-automatic handgun with a large capacity magazine. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and Kevin Rosenberg of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.