Additional Charges for Fresno Man for Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun and Ammunition

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count superseding indictment today against Steven Eric Cabrera, 25, of Fresno, adding one count of illegally possessing a machine gun and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition to the original Feb. 11 indictment that charged him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2017, Cabrera was convicted of assaulting a person with a firearm, a felony that makes it illegal for him to possess firearms or ammunition. In May 2020, he possessed a firearm that was hidden wrapped in a towel in a bag inside a car. About nine months later, he possessed a handgun that had been converted into a machine gun and over 300 rounds of ammunition.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Cabrera faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.