RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A man who was previously accused of planning a mass shooting on July 4 in 2022 has agreed to a plea in relation to a firearm charge and faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Julio Cesar Alvarado Dubon was one of two men previously accused of planning a mass shooting on Independence Day of 2022. On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Dubon pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by an individual illegally and unlawfully in the United States.
Dubon’s prison sentence, along with other provisions will be officially confirmed next year.
Back in 2022, Richmond Police said they had received a tip from a co-worker of Rolman Balcarcel-Bavagas — the other man accused of plotting a mass shooting in the city — that Dubon had an AR-15 and multiple other weapons and was planning on “shooting up a large gathering event on July 4th,” in 2022, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Richmond Police arrived at a home on July 1, 2022, where officers encountered Dubon.
Officers identified themselves and requested permission to enter into the residence. Dubon then opened the door and allowed entrance into the home.
It was then that Richmond officers first noticed a handgun magazine and one round of rifle ammunition on a mantle in the living room of the residence.
Dubon complied as officers asked if there were any more firearms or anyone else in the home. While there were no other people in the home, authorities continued with a lawful protective sweep to then find multiple firearms of various models in multiple areas of the home.
Court documents have confirmed each of the firearms had traveled “in an affected interstate commerce.”
Officials were directed to an expired Guatemalan passport and valid visa belonging to Dubon.
Authorities then contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations to determine Dubon’s legal status and his eligibility of lawfully owning a firearm.
The agencies confirmed Dubon had entered the United States legally on a B2 non-immigrant visa — which are given to visitors for tourism, medical treatment, vacation, or a few other circumstances — multiple times in 2014.
In every entry to the U.S., files confirmed that Dubon was given a date to leave, but failed to do so, overstaying the required time. Further, documents stated that Dubon “knew he was illegally and unlawfully in the United States at the time of his possession of the firearms.”
Despite the accusation that Dubon was plotting a mass shooting plot, on October of 2022, prosecutors admitted they lacked evidence “to prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant was planning to shoot people at a big event on the 4th of July or commit other acts of violence.”
A month later, in November, Balcarcel-Bavagas — the other man initially accused of planning the mass shooting — was sentenced to five-and-a-half months in prison on a single immigration charge, to which he pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors said Dubon’s actions were not committed by mistake, on accident or for an innocent reason and were deliberate.
Dubon faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, along with additional provisions.
Dubon’s sentencing date has been set for Jan. 25, 2024 at 11 a.m.
