FRESNO- On October 11, 2022, Mario Carranza, 38, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition.

According to court documents, on March 17, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a house in Fresno County after receiving a report of shots being fired in the backyard. Carranza and another individual were observed entering a car and leaving the area. The officers stopped the car, searched it, and recovered a disassembled, short-barrel, AR-15 style rifle with no serial number (known as a ghost gun) and a compatible firearm magazine loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. Carranza had fired the AR-style rifle in the backyard of the residence. He is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

“This type of illegal activity degrades the quality of life that we want for our families and neighborhoods and puts lives at risk.  It is a constant job of California’s law enforcement officers to confront, investigate and arrest individuals who are in possession of firearms when they are prohibited by law from having them,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association President Alan Barcelona.  “We are continually concerned for the safety of law enforcement officers and thank them for their bravery and service.”

Carranza is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on Jan. 23, 2023. Carranza faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, will 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 was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Fresno County Sherriff’s Office, the Fresno Police Department, the Special Operations Unit of the California Department of Justice and the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.