CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED FOR POSSESSION OF AMMUNITION BY A CONVICTED FELON

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Jesse Jay Perez, 28, of Morgan Hill, California, was sentenced to three years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Keeping our community and streets safe requires pursuing criminals like this offender with the full force of the law. I appreciate the excellent work of our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this case, and my office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting these offenders.”

According to court records, on January 1, 2025, Perez was riding a bike without a rear facing red light in violation of a Florida State Statute. During the traffic stop, law enforcement learned that Perez had an active felony arrest warrant out of the State of California. Perez was arrested and searched. Law enforcement recovered 13 magazines, 380 rounds of ammunition, and all the component parts necessary to build a “ghost gun” semi-automatic rifle from a backpack he was carrying. Perez was previously convicted in the State of California of a felony offense, specifically, manufacture, distribution, sale or transport of an assault weapon.

The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.