Chico Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of Ammunition

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Alfred David Villasenor, 36, of Chico, pleaded guilty on Monday to being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

On Nov. 20, 2019, law enforcement officers conducted a welfare check at Villasenor’s residence. They located Villasenor hiding underneath a blanket on the floor of the master bedroom with a shouldered, loaded non-serialized AR-15 rifle on a bipod. Villasenor had been pointing this rifle at the door officers had used to enter the room. Officers seized approximately 900 rounds of ammunition of various sizes. At that time, Villasenor was subject to a domestic violence restraining order that prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Chico Police Department, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Conolly and Adrian T. Kinsella are prosecuting the case.

Villasenor is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14 by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller. Villasenor faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. 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.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see www.justice.gov/projectguardian.