Las Vegas Felon Sentenced To Over Five Years In Prison For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced yesterday to 63 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm while on supervised release for a prior felony.

Ralph Alexander Medina, 37, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Medina to three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Medina was convicted in March 2015 for felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to imprisonment followed by supervised release. On January 4, 2020, while on supervised release for that conviction, Medina assaulted his spouse, pinning her to the floor and placing a 9mm semiautomatic pistol against her head. Several weeks later, on January 29, Medina reported to the U.S. Probation Office where he tested positive for opiates and methamphetamine. Law enforcement officers arrested Medina and recovered a loaded pistol that was hidden in an air conditioning access panel in his home. Medina is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his March 2015 felony conviction.

Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with assistance by the FBI Criminal Apprehension Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Cowhig prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about PSN, visit www.justice.gov/usao-nv.

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