Stockton Man Indicted for Illegal Firearms Possession

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Joseph Flowers, 29, of Stockton, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on January 16, 2019, Flowers was found in possession of a Pietro Beretta model 92F semi-automatic pistol. Flowers has three prior felony convictions, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Spencer is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Flowers faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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 was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.