NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors indicted a man they allege sold illegal firearms and ran a firearms group that a Rock Springs man is alleged to have made purchases for.
An investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York branch resulted in the indictment of Hayden Espinosa, 24, for allegedly selling illegal firearms and components to a New York Police Department officer while he was incarcerated in federal prison. Investigators allege Espinosa sold and advertised his wares through the 3D Amendment Telegram channel he moderated.
Espinosa is a man mentioned in charging documents alleging Rock Springs resident Preston Lewis was involved in a gun buying ring. Lewis faced nine charges of felony firearms theft related to his alleged involvement in the group, however those charges were dismissed as Lewis faces federal charges.
Espinosa, originally of Corpus Christi, Texas, allegedly operated the Telegram channel using cellphones that were smuggled into the Federal Correctional Complex-Pollock in Louisiana, a prison Espinosa was an inmate at from December 2022 to June 4. He was released and immediately arrested by the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office on a New York State Supreme Court indictment. He is expected to be arraigned on the New York charges June 24.
In May 2022, the NYPD’s Racially and Ethnically-Motivated Extremism Unit discovered Espinosa was operating the 3D Amendment channel using the username “Treason 3DA.” They allege Espinosa and other members of the channel advertised the sale of illegal firearms and firearm modifications.
“While in federal prison, Hayden Espinosa allegedly sold guns and gun parts by using contraband electronic devices,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said. “Furthermore, we alleged Espinosa operated a Telegram channel that is a hub of ethnically and racially motivated extremist ideology. The combination of extremism and firearms is incredibly dangerous and threatens the safety of so many New Yorkers.”
While serving at the federal prison, Espinosa is alleged to have sold and attempted to sell firearms to an undercover NYPD officer. According to HSI, Espinosa allegedly sold two auto sears, one for a Glock-style handgun and a second 3D-printed sear for an AR-style rifle to the undercover officer. A sear is a rapid-fire modification that transforms a semi-automatic firearm into a fully-automatic weapon.
Espinosa is also alleged to have later tried selling a Glock-19 handgun to the officer and on Nov. 13, 2023, Espinosa is alleged to have sold two firearm silencers to the officer.
The investigation was a partnership between the NYPD, The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries.
