Bakersfield Man Indicted for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
FRESNO, Calif. — Katerrin McCray, 25, of Bakersfield, was charged today by a federal grand jury with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2022, law enforcement officers attempted to stop a vehicle in which McCray was the passenger for traffic infractions in Bakersfield. The vehicle sped off and McCray discarded a loaded Glock Model 22 .40‑caliber handgun out the passenger window during the pursuit. Officers apprehended McCray and shortly afterwards located McCray’s handgun in the street where he discarded it, along with a high-capacity magazine and 21 rounds of 40-caliber ammunition. Because of his prior criminal convictions, including a 2017 conviction for being a felon in possession of firearm and a 2018 conviction for receiving known stolen property, McCray may not lawfully possess firearms or ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, McCray faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charge is only an allegation; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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