Gang Member and Armed Career Criminal Pleads Guilty to Shooting Federal Courthouse in Eugene

EUGENE, OR—Eduardo Mendoza, Jr., 29, appeared today before U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Hogan, and pled guilty to being an armed career criminal, and to shooting and damaging a federal courthouse. An admitted member of the Sureno gang organization, Mendoza committed the crimes while on supervised release for a 2002 federal felony drug trafficking conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for December 7, 2010.

During the evening of October 29, 2010, Mendoza, a Springfield resident, fired several shots from a vehicle as it was being driven by the Wayne Lyman Morse U.S. Courthouse. Mendoza’s intended target was the U.S. Probation Office, but the bullets struck windows outside Congressman Peter DeFazio’s office. On November 28, 2009, Mendoza was arrested by U.S. Marshals for violating his supervised released.

On April 22, 2010, a federal grand jury indicted Mendoza for damaging the federal courthouse and for being an armed career criminal.

Mendoza faces a 15-year mandatory prison term for possessing a pistol and ammunition while having prior convictions for delivering methamphetamine to minors, and other violent felony assaults. Mendoza also faces up to five additional years in prison for committing the crimes while on federal post-prison supervision. He will also be required to pay $9,311.84 in restitution for the damage to the building.

Agents of the FBI conducted the investigation receiving substantial assistance from the United States Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Oregon State Police, and the Springfield and Eugene Police Departments. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Papagni at (541) 465-6771.