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Press Release

Vallejo Man Sentenced To Six Years For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

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

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Danny Lee Rhines, 34, of Vallejo, CA was sentenced on Thursday by United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. to six years in prison for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. 

According to court documents, in March 2018, officers of the Fairfield Police Department observed Rhines driving a Nissan Altima in Vallejo and tried to pull him over.  Rhines, who was the sole occupant of the car, ran a red light and attempted to flee police.  Officers were able to apprehend him after Rhines ran the car into a fence and it came to a stop. While officers were securing the car after Rhines' arrest, they found a Ruger .22-caliber pistol in the driver’s side door pocket. Rhines cannot lawfully possess a firearm because he has a prior felony conviction. Rhines pleaded guilty to the charge on July 5, 2018.

This case was the product of an investigation by the FBI Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Fairfield Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Owen Roth and James Conolly prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state and local law enforcement to combat gun and gang crime. At the core of PSN is increased federal prosecution to incapacitate chronic violent offenders as well as to communicate a credible deterrent threat to potential gun offenders.

Updated October 12, 2018

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Press Release Number: 2:18-cr-097 MCE