Bakersfield Resident Pleads Guilty to Aiming a Laser at a Sheriff’s Helicopter

Alejandro Galvan-Silvestre, 26, pleaded guilty today to knowingly aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a Kern County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, Air One, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 5, 2021, Galvan-Silvestre was drinking with his family and friends outside his residence when he noticed the Sheriff’s helicopter. Galvan-Silvestre then began to shine the laser pointer toward the helicopter, which was conducting routine patrol in the area.

In the year of Galvan-Silvestre’s laser strike, there were 9,723 reported incidents involving laser strikes of aircraft across the country. At the time, that was an annual record high according to data kept by the Federal Aviation Administration.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Galvan-Silvestre is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 17, 2025. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five 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.