Phoenix man sentenced for lying while buying guns used later in California hate crime

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man was sentenced to prison this week for lying while buying guns that were used later in a hate crime in California, authorities announced Friday.

On Monday, a federal judge in Phoenix ordered Eric Celaya, 30, to spend eight months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Celaya pleaded guilty in May to making a material false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

The charge was related to the Jan. 19, 2023, purchase of two guns from a licensed dealer in Tempe.

Prosecutors said Celaya intended to give the guns to Jaime Tran but stated in the paperwork it was a personal purchase.

Tran was prohibited from buying firearms because of previous mental health holds. He also had a history of making antisemitic statements and threats.

Celaya had no previous criminal record and was unaware of Tran’s intentions, according to prosecutors.

How guns purchased in Arizona were used in California hate crime

On Feb. 15, 2023, Tran shot and wounded a Jewish man as he left a synagogue in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles. He returned to the neighborhood, which is a Jewish cultural hub, and again shot and wounded a man as he left religious services.

Tran was arrested the day after the second shooting after a witness reported that he was shooting a firearm behind a motel.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two firearms-related offenses in May 2024 and was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Sept. 30.

“While this sentencing cannot fully restore the sense of safety stolen from the two victims and the Jewish community, it is a decisive step towards justice and a clear message that such acts of hate and violence will not be tolerated,” Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi said in a press release after Tran’s sentencing.

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