July 21, 2014

Nampa Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm

BOISE—Juan Jose Sanchez, 23, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced today in United States District Court to 41 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Sanchez to forfeit the firearm involved in the offense. Sanchez pleaded guilty to the charge on May 5, 2014.

According to information presented in court, officers with the Nampa Police Department contacted Sanchez on January 14, 2014, when they responded to a complaint at a residence in Nampa. When officers spoke to Sanchez they discovered that he had a loaded handgun tucked in the front of his waistband. Officers seized the handgun and identified it as an H&R, 9-shot, .22 caliber revolver. Sanchez is prohibited from possessing firearms because he was previously convicted of the felony crime of aggravated battery on September 7, 2011, in Canyon County, Idaho. Sanchez was still on parole at the time he possessed the .22 revolver.

The case was investigated by the Nampa Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The Metro Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole.

Sanchez was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.