Three men arrested at Denver hotel face federal weapons charges
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Three of four people arrested at a Denver hotel ahead of the MLB All-Star game now face federal weapons charges, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Federal prosecutors charged 44-year-old Ricardo Rodriguez, 42-year-old Richard Platt, and 48-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez for possession of a firearm as a felon. Gabriel Rodriguez, who is not related to Ricardo Rodriguez, also faces one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, the Justice Department said.
The three men and 43-year-old Kanoelehua Serikawa were taken into custody on July 9 after police obtained search warrants to their rooms at the Maven Hotel in downtown Denver. Officers discovered 16 firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, along with body armor, after a hotel employee alerted law enforcement, police said.
SUSPECT IN DENVER HOTEL ARREST DENIES SHOOTING PLOT, SAYS GUNS WERE BEING COLLECTED FOR FRIENDS
The incident quickly commanded national attention, as some officials suspected early on that the firearms were part of a plot to kill baseball fans in Denver for the All-Star Game. Some speculated the suspects planned a "Las Vegas-style shooting” akin to 64-year-old Stephen Paddock's murder of concertgoers from his hotel room in 2017, the Denver Post reported.
Coors Field, where the All-Star game was played on Tuesday, is less than a mile from the hotel.
Ricardo Rodriquez denied any motivation of violence in an interview with local CBS affiliate KCNC on Sunday, claiming Platt was "collecting [the guns] for his friends” and trading.
Rodriguez also acknowledged possessing a 9 mm handgun and an AR-15 in his own hotel room but did not discuss his criminal history, which includes criminal mischief with a deadly weapon and felony drug possession, according to the criminal complaint against him.
Platt's criminal history includes felony weapons and drug charges, and Gabriel Rodriguez has also been convicted on felony drug charges, according to court documents.
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The FBI said it was "aware of the arrest of four individuals at a hotel near the Major League Baseball All-Star Game venue" but that it didn't suspect terrorism.
"There is currently no evidence of any intent or plan to disrupt or commit violence by these defendants in connection with the MLB All-Star festivities," the Justice Department said in its news release announcing the charges.
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Tags: News, Denver, Colorado, Law Enforcement, Justice Department, Firearms, Drugs, Crime
Original Author: Jeremy Beaman
Original Location: Three men arrested at Denver hotel face federal weapons charges
