Member of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Gabriel Trinidad Lopez, age 38, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on July 12, 2018, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Lopez to a 30-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 November 4, 2017, while conducting community safety operations to reduce violence between local rival outlaw motorcycle groups, law enforcement officers observed Lopez riding a motorcycle. He is a member of the Mongols, an outlaw motorcycle gang. While following Lopez, the officers observed a number of traffic violations and initiated a traffic stop. During the encounter, Lopez told the officers he possessed a firearm. Lopez is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.

Joseph H. Harrington said, “The sentence imposed today should serve as a reminder that convicted felons must not possess firearms. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for previously convicted felons who possess firearms. I commend the joint investigatory efforts of the ATF, FBI, and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of this outlaw motorcycle gang-related matter.”

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 Federal Bureau of Investigations Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force, Spokane County Sherriff’s Office Regional Intelligence Group, and the Spokane Resident Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.