SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — An Army veteran and a member of the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and leaking important raid information to known drug dealers. This woman's arrest comes as a surprise to her neighbors, but she tells ABC10 she is innocent.
"I have four kids," said Yauheni Piatrouski.
When Piatrouski isn't spending time at work, he's with his little ones in their Antelope home. Over the past two years of living in this neighborhood, he hasn't encountered any issues. However now, safety has become his top priority.
"I don't feel comfortable," he said.
According to federal court documents, one of Piatrouski's neighbors, Ruby Uribe was recently charged with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. An extensive investigation into Uribe, an Army vet, and member of the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, found she was leaking information to known drug dealers in the Turlock area about upcoming raids. Through a search warrant at Uribe's Antelope home last December, investigators found an illegal firearm with the intent to sell it. Text messages show Uribe knew it wasn't a legal gun and offered to sell it for $1,350.
Local defense attorney, Mark Reichel, said there may be problems with Uribe's charges citing the second amendment following a 2022 Supreme Court decision.
"Back then, it was not illegal to have a sawed-off short-barreled rifle. Back then, there were no automatic weapons," Reichel said.
Uribe appeared in court last week and was released from Sacramento County Jail on bail on Friday. She told ABC10 over the phone on Sunday, all of this is not true and it all started because she filed a complaint at work alleging her supervisor had sexually assaulted her.
When asked about the gun, Uribe said it was a gift. She did not know it was an illegal gun. She said she never had plans to sell it. Uribe also said she did not tip off drug dealers about raids and said the person in question is a friend, and she was venting to him about work. She said she did not know about his drug activity. Uribe said she's confident this will all work out in her favor.
If convicted, Uribe could face 10 years behind bars. The California Military Department's Office of Strategic Communications released a statement to ABC10, saying:
Since the beginning of this investigation, the California Military Department has been cooperating with and in support of federal law enforcement authorities. The allegations against this Soldier do not reflect the highest standards held by the service members of the California Military Department. Due to this being an ongoing civilian criminal investigation and prosecution, we are unable to provide further comment.
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