Las Vegas, Nevada - A man who held a handgun and a machete outside a business at the Henderson Executive Airport was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich of the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI.

Etori Hughes, 45, of Las Vegas, was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts scheduled a preliminary hearing for February 19, 2021.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, on January 30, 2021, Henderson Police Department dispatch received a 911 call about a man — later identified as Hughes — in the parking lot of a business at Henderson Executive Airport, wearing a bulletproof vest and holding a handgun in one hand and a machete in the other. Police officers arrived at the business and placed Hughes in custody. During a search of Hughes’ vehicle, officers found a Glock 9mm handgun, 352 9mm rounds loaded into magazines, ninja swords, a smoke grenade, a knife, and other items. Hughes has a court order issued by the Orleans Parish in Louisiana that prohibits him from possessing a firearm.

Photograph of items recovered from Hughes’ vehicle

If convicted, Hughes faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Henderson Police Department and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.