SAN ANTONIO — A Hondo man who set out for Washington, D.C., with guns, ammunition and plans to violently overthrow the government has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.
Jay Anthony Villarreal, 25, was sentenced Wednesday to 27 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release.
Investigators said Villarreal left Hondo on June 28, 2025, driving toward the nation’s capital. He had an AR-15 rifle, two handguns, extra loaded magazines and boxes of ammunition in his vehicle, according to court records. Agents also said they found a police scanner, binoculars and a copy of the Texas Penal Code.
Authorities said Villarreal had used social media to try to recruit military veterans to join him. A friend in Maryland saw the posts the next morning, feared a possible mass shooting and contacted the FBI. Another person in Hondo also alerted police after becoming concerned about Villarreal’s messages.
Family members and friends reached out to Villarreal as he drove east, urging him to turn around. He changed course near Beaumont and returned home the evening of June 29.
FBI agents searched his home later that day and found two military smoke grenades, officials said.
Villarreal was arrested days later and convicted by a federal jury in June. The judge also ordered him to give up the guns and ammunition connected to the case.