Fresno Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

FRESNO, Calif. — Gabriel Mata, 27, of Fresno, was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Jan. 19, 2020, Mata, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a Smith & Wesson .40‑caliber semi-automatic pistol.  Mata has three prior felony convictions, which prohibit him from possessing a firearm: two 2017 Fresno County Superior Court felony convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle or vessel and a 2015 Fresno County Superior Court felony conviction for carrying a loaded firearm in public.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Jean Berger prosecuted the case.

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.