Stanislaus County Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Distribution

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Juan Carlos Cortez-Gomez, 44, of Riverbank, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 70 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 15, 2020, Cortez-Gomez agreed to sell methamphetamine to an FBI informant. When Cortez-Gomez arrived at the location for the sale, he was arrested by officers. A search of his truck revealed 10 pounds of methamphetamine. During a post-arrest statement, Cortez-Gomez admitted he knowingly possessed this methamphetamine and that he was planning to sell it.

This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force, the California Highway Patrol, and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.