Vallejo Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Firearm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joshua Wayne Thompson, 25, of Vallejo, pleadedd guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Nov. 18, 2019, law enforcement arrested Thompson on multiple felony warrants. Before the arrest, law enforcement witnessed Thompson exit a home in Vallejo and approached him. Thompson ran toward and entered the driver’s side door of a Ford Fusion. While attempting to flee, Thompson rammed the Ford into a Deputy U.S. Marshal’s vehicle. Law enforcement converged on the Ford, removed Thompson, and placed him under arrest. At the time of the arrest, Thompson possessed a loaded pistol with a 25-round extended magazine. Thompson cannot possess a firearm or ammunition because he previously was convicted of a felony offense.    

This case is a product of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case.  

U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr., is scheduled to sentence Thompson on December 3, 2020. Thompson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will 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.

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.

This case also is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information, please see https://www.justice.gov.