Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the sentencings of Grandview, Washington residents, Fidel Gonzalez-Molina, Jr., age 24, and Edvin Daniel Osorio, age 21, following their pleas of guilty to being previously convicted felons in possession of ammunition and a firearm. Gonzalez-Molina and Osorio are members of the "Bell Garden Locos" street gang. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. sentenced Gonzalez-Molina for unlawfully possessing ammunition to a 15-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision following release from Federal prison. United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Osorio for illegally possessing a firearm to a 6-month term of home confinement, followed by a 3-year term of probation.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, a Sunnyside Police Department officer initiated a stop on a vehicle with four occupants after receiving reports that someone in the vehicle was target shooting at street signs near Harrison and Sheller Road. The driver, Gonzalez-Molina, told officers he was a former member of the "Bell Garden Locos" street gang. Osorio, the front-seat passenger, was known by law enforcement to be a member of the same gang. During the stop, officers observed a plastic shopping bag fly from the passenger compartment. Officers retrieved it and found a sales receipt from a local sporting goods store for the recent purchase of .357 caliber ammunition. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, officers found a Smith and Wesson .357 caliber revolver wrapped in a blue bandana inside the glove compartment. Officers then contacted the sporting goods store and reviewed its security video as it related to the time stamp on the sales receipt. The store’s video revealed Gonzalez-Molina and Osorio were involved in purchasing the ammunition.

Joseph H. Harrington said, "Convicted felons have no right to possess firearms and ammunition. If someone chooses to violate federal law, they will be prosecuted. I commend the outstanding work of the FBI, ATF, and Sunnyside Police Department in investigating this case."

This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.

This case was investigated by the Sunnyside Police Department, the Yakima Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Yakima Resident Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

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