FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
January 13, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov

               SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced
today that federal grand juries in Fresno and in Sacramento returned separate indictments
charging six defendants with being felons in possession of a firearm.

              U.S. Attorney Wagner said: “The federal firearms laws are a critical tool for protecting
our communities. Local law enforcement agencies, working closely with the U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, regularly identify dangerous armed felons and refer
them to this office for prosecution, so we can take them off the streets. This work rarely gets
much attention, but every day it makes our neighborhoods safer.”

              “Drug traffickers and convicted felons who illegally possess firearms are responsible for
violent crime and are a threat to our communities,” stated Stephen C. Herkins. “It is ATF’s
priority to take these firearms off our streets and to hold these criminals accountable.”

              The Fresno defendants are: Dean Gutierrez, 26, Reggie Thompson, 47, Francisco Perez,
27, and Christopher Madden, 27, all of Fresno. Perez is also charged with carrying a firearm
during a drug trafficking offense and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
All the offenses are alleged to have been committed between October 2010 and January 2011.

              The indictment against Gutierrez alleges that he has two separate prior convictions for
carrying a firearm registered to another individual and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment further alleges that Gutierrez was found this time possessing three firearms,
including a semiautomatic assault weapon.

              The indictment against Thompson alleges that he has two prior convictions for robbery
and a prior conviction for infliction of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. The indictment
against Perez alleges that he has prior convictions for taking a vehicle without the consent of the
owner, possession of a controlled substance and two prior convictions for evading a peace
officer. The indictment against Madden alleges that he has prior convictions for possession of a
controlled substance and possession of cocaine base for sale.

              These cases are the product of investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Sanchez is prosecuting the cases.

              In Sacramento, Anthony William Hunt, 26, and Heber Naman Vasquez, 25, both of
Sacramento, were indicted in separate cases for being felons in possession with a firearm or
ammunition.

              According to the indictment, Hunt is charged with possessing a firearm after having been
convicted of a felony drug offense. Sacramento Police Department Officers responded to a
domestic violence call on December 25, 2010, by a complainant who alleged she was physically
assaulted. Officers seized a 9mm semi-automatic handgun loaded with hollow point rounds
between the mattresses where Hunt and his two-year-old daughter slept. Officers noted that the
gun was not locked in any container or made safe in any manner, which posed a substantial risk
of injury to the child. The indictment alleges that Hunt had been convicted of possession of
marijuana for sale in October 2008, in Sacramento County.

              Vasquez was indicted today for possessing ammunition after having been convicted of a
felony offense. On December 31, 2010, Vasquez is alleged to have purchased 50 rounds of
Winchester .380-caliber ammunition from Sports Authority in Sacramento. Vasquez has a 2006
felony conviction for willful discharge of a firearm in a negligent manner and was charged in
that case with a gang enhancement.

              These cases are the product of investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives task force. Assistant United States Attorney William Wong is
prosecuting the cases.

              The maximum statutory penalty for each felon in possession charge is 10 years in prison
and a $250,000 fine. However, Thompson may face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison
if the court determines him to be an armed career criminal. Perez faces a maximum penalty of 20
years in prison and a $1 million fine for the drug trafficking offense and a mandatory minimum
of five years consecutive to any sentence on other counts for carrying a firearm during a drug
trafficking offense plus a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, 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.

              The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and
unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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