Yuba City Man Sentenced to 70 Months for Unlawfully Possessing and Selling Guns

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On May 9, 2024, Billy Glyn Sims Jr. of Yuba City was sentenced to 70 months in prison for unlawfully dealing in firearms without a license and for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, between April 1, 2022, and March 9, 2023, Sims, who is not a licensed firearms dealer, unlawfully engaged in the business of dealing in firearms. In three separate transactions in motel and apartment complex parking lots, Sims sold an FBI confidential source a Mossberg Shotgun, a Ruger single-action revolver, and a black powder revolver and a box containing .45 caliber ammunition. The transactions occurred in Yuba, Yolo, and Sutter Counties. At least one of the transactions occurred after Sims became aware that the source was a “double felon” and thus prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Sims also offered to sell the source several other firearms, including an AR-15 assault rifle, although these transactions were never completed. Sims was prohibited from possessing any firearms because of his own prior felony convictions, including for domestic violence and burglary.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin L. Lee and Dhruv M. Sharma 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.