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Press Release

Solano County Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm as a Felon

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Steven Michael Roberts, 33, of Vacaville, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 4, 2019, police officers responded to a call reporting that a man had a gun in his waistband. When officers arrived, they identified Roberts based on the reporting party’s description. Officers stopped Roberts, who admitted that he had a gun. Roberts was searched, and officers found a loaded 9 mm pistol in his waistband. Roberts cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of four felony offenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Vacaville Police Department with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miriam R. Hinman and Alexis Nelsen are prosecuting the case.

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on April 20. Roberts faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will 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.

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.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

Updated January 14, 2021

Topics
Project Guardian
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Press Release Number: 2:20-cr-007 JAM