Fairfield Felon Arrested for Two Counts of Possessing Ammunition

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Lawrence Guerain Fleming, 37, of Fairfield, charging him with two counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following Fleming’s arrested on May 19.

According to court documents, on Feb. 1, 2020, Fleming lost control of his motorcycle and crashed on Highway 50 in Sacramento County. A witness stopped to help Fleming, and Fleming asked the witness to conceal a ghost gun loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. When the police arrived, the witness told them about the firearm. A warrant was later issued for Fleming’s arrest. On March 17, 2021, police officers stopped Fleming for speeding and arrested him on this warrant. During the arrest, Fleming told officers he had a weapon on his person. This weapon was also a ghost gun and was loaded with a high-capacity magazine containing 14 rounds. A search of Fleming’s car during his federal arrest on May 19 led to the discovery of a third ghost gun, also loaded with an extended magazine, in the trunk of his vehicle.

Fleming cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition because he has a prior federal felony conviction in the Northern District of California for assaulting a United States Postal Service carrier with a firearm. Fleming pleaded guilty to this offense on Oct. 21, 2005.

This case is the product of an investigation by the California Highway Patrol, the Fairfield Police Department, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alstyn Bennett and Adrian T. Kinsella are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Fleming faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. Any sentence, however, would 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; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.