Houston Felon Gets 60 Months in Federal Prison for Selling Pistol Online

HOUSTON, Texas – A 31-year-old Houston man will spend five years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Miguel Cano sold a Taurus pistol for $450 after arranging the deal over social media, according to the source account of the case.

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ordered Cano to serve 60 months, followed immediately by three years of supervised release. Cano pleaded guilty August 14.

Judge cited criminal record

In handing down the sentence, the court noted Cano’s extensive criminal record and the “compressed” timing of his prior crimes.

Cano has prior convictions for theft, driving while intoxicated, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest with a vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Federal law bars convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.

How the investigation unfolded

The case began in January 2025, when law enforcement learned Cano was using social media to discuss selling a Taurus pistol. He had sent a video of the gun.

Cano met an individual in Houston on January 16, 2025, and sold the pistol for $450.

Cano has been in custody and will stay there until the Federal Bureau of Prisons picks a facility and transfers him. The source gave no timeline beyond “the near future.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ganz prosecuted it.