Moses Lake man sentenced to 108 months for stolen guns

MOSES LAKE – A Moses Lake man and documented gang member has been sentenced to 108 months in federal prison after having been found in possession of stolen firearms, prosecutors announced Tuesday night.

William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Michael Lorenzo Martinez Castoreno, 35, was sentenced yesterday after having pleaded guilty in July to possession of stolen firearms. Senior United States District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Castoreno to 108 months in federal prison, followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released.

Castoreno was arrested in June 2018 after an extensive chase with Moses Lake police and the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force. After law enforcement tracked down the wanted felon at a home in Moses Lake, he fled and led them on a high-speed chase down state Route 17.

During the chase, police reported that Castoreno threw liquid from a cup out of his window, later found to be mixed with methamphetamine, in an attempt to dispose of the illicit drug, according to court documents. Chunks of the drug were reportedly found stuck to the side of Castoreno’s vehicle.

Officers successfully deployed spike strips as Castoreno fled, but the suspect only stopped after colliding with a U.S. Marshals truck. After detaining Castoreno and obtaining a search warrant, police discovered four firearms inside his vehicle, three of which were stolen.

“The United States Attorney’s Office will prosecute aggressively individuals who unlawfully possess firearms,” said William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, in a statement.

“Such offenses are serious,” Hyslop continued. “I commend the Moses Lake Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their commitment to this successful prosecution.”

This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, according to a press release, a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods.

The case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, Moses Lake Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Offices of Grant and Adams counties all contributed to investigating this case.

Castoreno had 10 prior felony convictions including eluding, robbery and multiple drug-related felonies. He had also only recently been involved in another high-speed chase topping out at around 120 miles per hour, in which pursuing law enforcement had also deployed spike strips.