FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
December 22, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov

FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a federal grand jury returned separate indictments charging two men with being felons in possession of a firearm.

According to the first indictment, Albert Hood, 46, of Fresno, was convicted in Fresno Superior Court in 2000 for vehicle theft and domestic violence, and in 2010 for assault with a deadly weapon not a firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that on December 4, 2011, Hood was in possession of a loaded .44-caliber Ruger revolver.

The second indictment alleges that Rodney Heather, 26, of Firebaugh, was in possession of a .45-caliber Llama pistol November 7, 2011, after having been convicted of a felony of carrying a concealed loaded weapon.

The cases are the product of investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fresno Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force as part of the Project SAFE Neighborhoods initiative in which local, state and federal law enforcement join forces to combat gun and gang violence. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez is prosecuting the cases.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual 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.

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

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