Three men arrested last week at The Maven hotel in Denver after a housekeeper discovered several guns inside their rooms and tipped off authorities now face federal gun charges, court documents show.
Gabriel Rodriguez, Ricardo Rodriguez and Richard Platt are accused of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a previous offender. Gabriel Rodriguez also is accused of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
A federal complaint alleges that the three men were selling and buying guns and drugs to each other, but makes no mention of a plot for a mass shooting. The arrests came as thousands of people descended upon Coors Field, which is one block from the hotel, ahead of the All-Star Game.
Authorities found 15 guns inside two hotel rooms connected to the three men. They also found methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana, court documents show.
In an interview with federal investigators, Platt said he met Ricardo Rodriguez through a friend who was interested in buying guns, the documents stated. Platt’s friend told him Rodriguez was a firearms seller.
After arriving at the hotel on July 7, Platt and Ricardo Rodriguez went to each other’s rooms and Rodriguez started to take out parts of guns and assemble the pieces, Platt told investigators. Platt said he bought a “sniper rifle” from Ricardo Rodriguez for $1,000 and that he planned to sell it to Gabriel Rodriguez to make a $500 profit, court documents stated.
Ricardo Rodriguez told investigators that he arrived in Denver to buy guns and drugs, according to court paperwork. He said he wanted to make contacts within cartel organizations so he could gather information and ultimately present it to law enforcement, the documents stated.
He said a woman in Idaho buys firearms for him to sell since he is a convicted felon and therefore, cannot buy them himself, the documents stated.
Platt told investigators Ricardo Rodriguez talked about shooting people in Mexico, but Rodriguez said he had no plans to harm anyone, the documents stated. Instead, Ricardo Rodriguez said he brought several firearms to Denver to show the people he planned to meet with, according to the documents.
Inside Platt’s room, investigators found $10,000 in cash, at least eight guns and narcotics, according to court documents. In Ricardo Rodriguez’s room, they found at least three guns, several firearm parts and ammunition.
When police arrested Gabriel Rodriguez, they found a gun, heroin and methamphetamine inside a backpack he was wearing, documents stated. He told investigators that he picked up the backpack in Commerce City and planned to deliver the drugs to Platt.
Kanoelehua Serikawa, who was arrested by Denver police last week with the men, does not currently face federal charges. She refused to be interviewed by federal investigators, according to arrest paperwork from the three men.
No lawyers were listed Friday for any of the men in federal court documents.