Bakersfield Man Indicted for Being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Lance Jakell Henderson, 26, of Bakersfield, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Oct. 2, 2022, officers were called to the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Bakersfield regarding a domestic violence disturbance in progress. When officers arrived, they contacted Henderson after the victim identified him as the perpetrator. A search of a diaper bag held by a companion revealed a ghost gun (a gun with no serial number) loaded with eight rounds of 9 mm ammunition. Henderson told the officers that he took the gun from the room and put it in the diaper bag.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bakersfield Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Henderson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.