DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of California

For Immediate Release

Thursday, December 15, 2016
Phillip A. Talbert
, United States Attorney
Contact: Lauren Horwood

Fresno County Man Indicted for Weapons Charges

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Michael Mathison, 26, of Selma, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, a Fresno police officer assigned to the Fresno County Probation Adult Compliance Team arrested Mathison after an encounter in late November. According to the complaint, Mathison attempted to flee when the officer approached him and allegedly threw a gun into a nearby yard. After officers caught Mathison, they searched the yard and found a firearm. Mathison is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm because he has previously been convicted of multiple felonies.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fresno County Probation Adult Compliance Team, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Pearson is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Mathison 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 charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state and local law enforcement to combat gun and gang crime. At the core of PSN is increased federal prosecution to incapacitate chronic violent offenders as well as to communicate a credible deterrent threat to potential gun offenders.

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San Francisco Field Division