Madera Man Previously Convicted of Tax Evasion Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

FRESNO, Calif. — Walter Watts Jr., 47, of Madera, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to 2 ½ years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on November 29, 2012, law enforcement officers searched Watt’s home and found a Tactical Machine semiautomatic rifle, a Heckler and Koch shotgun, and a .22-caliber firearm with an attached laser. Watts was previously convicted of felony tax evasion in April 2011.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Madera Narcotics Enforcement Team. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rooney prosecuted the case.

Watts was ordered to surrender on August 22, 2016, to begin his prison term.