Bell Garden Locos Street Gang Member Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Lukes Lorenzo Herrera, age 21, of Grandview, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on September 13, 2018, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Senior United States District Judge Lonny R. Suko sentenced Herrera to an 18-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on April 17, 2018, a Sunnyside Police officer stopped the vehicle Herrera, a documented Bell Garden Locos street gang member, was operating. After learning that Herrera’s driving privileges were suspended, the officer placed Herrera under arrest. While preparing to tow the vehicle, officers observed shotgun shells on the passenger floorboard and a handgun on the back seat. After obtaining a warrant to search the vehicle, officers seized a loaded Herman Weihrauch (“HMW”) .38 Special Revolver, shotgun shells, and 9mm ammunition. Herrera is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Joseph H. Harrington said, “Convicted felons have no right to possess firearms and ammunition. If someone chooses to violate federal law, they will be prosecuted. I commend the outstanding work of the FBI, ATF, and Sunnyside Police Department in investigating this case.”

This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.

This case was investigated by the Yakima Resident Offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Sunnyside Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.