Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mario Gonzalez, 40, of Manteca, California, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully possessing ammunition after being convicted of a felony crime, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on December 16, 2019, Manteca Police Department officers searched Gonzalez’s truck after arresting him on a state arrest warrant. During the search, officers located a loaded firearm and a total of 48 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. Gonzalez has several prior felony convictions—including three prior domestic violence felonies—which prohibit him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

This case was the product of an investigation by the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Manteca Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Aaron D. Pennekamp and Emily G. Sauvageau are prosecuting the case.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2023, by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb. Gonzalez faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 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.

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. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.