Central Florida lawman gets three years in prison after using his badge to fuel a major gun-trafficking ring.
A former law enforcement officer from St. Cloud, Florida, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for illegally dealing firearms and providing confidential police information to a gun-trafficking conspiracy. U.S. District Judge John Antoon II sentenced Michael Adrian Nieto, 31, who pleaded guilty on February 13, 2025.
According to court documents, Nieto used his position as a sworn law enforcement officer to repeatedly purchase and resell dozens of firearms. His actions were directly linked to a criminal conspiracy that smuggled hundreds of guns to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), a key recipient of his illegal sales was Ernesto Vazquez, a central figure in the smuggling ring who has since been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison…