Natalia Chi
CHICAGO — A six-time convicted felon who posted a video on social media of himself firing a gun at a makeshift shooting range he set up in his basement was sentenced to six-and-a-half years for illegal gun possession. was sentenced.
Ryan Gamboa, 35, pleaded guilty to felony firearm use in exchange for a sentence from Judge William Gamboney. Prosecutors agreed to drop several other felony charges in a plea bargain, including possession of a short-barreled rifle and possession of a silencer.
Gamboa’s recent troubles began about a year ago, prosecutors said, when New York City customs officials intercepted one of the silencers in transit from China to an address in Gamboa. After investigating Silencer, police found his two guns, additional silencers, and an indoor shooting range at Gamboa’s home.
A U.S. Postal Inspector disguised as a mailman delivered an intercepted silencer to Gamboa, and police raided his South Side home minutes later. Prosecutors say the silencer was already stuffed inside the sofa.
In the basement, police allegedly found an AR-15 rifle, a loaded ammunition magazine, another silencer, and a 9mm “ghost” gun. Various gun parts were scattered around the house and its backyard.
An assistant state attorney said used shell casings were found “all over the residence” after Gamboa was arrested. A video on Gamboa’s Facebook showed Gamboa firing an AR-15 and two other handguns in the basement.
The video, titled “Applause for Santa Claus,” was posted on Christmas night 2021.
Gamboa has felony convictions for stolen automobile possession, desertion, drugs, and retail store theft.
His sentence is cut in half for good deeds. He also received his 454-day credit which applied to his jail time. He is expected to be released in November 2024, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.
