Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Tony Cong Van, 31, of Sacramento, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Van was arrested on February 2, 2018, after a traffic stop resulted in the seizure of a Glock 27 pistol with a high-capacity magazine loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition. Because Van was previously convicted of felonies in Sacramento County, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sacramento Police Department, and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Van 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 is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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