Caldwell Man Sentenced to Prison for Gun Crime

BOISE – Isaac Bright, 22, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Bright to serve three years of supervised release and have no contact with gang members.  The federal sentence imposed will run consecutively with a state sentence that the defendant is now serving.  Bright was found guilty on November 5, 2015. 

According to court documents, law enforcement stopped a vehicle in which Bright was a passenger because of a traffic violation.  During the stop, Bright lied to the officer about his identity and the fact that he was on felony probation at the time.  Officers ultimately were able to determine Bright’s identity and confirmed that he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.  During a search of his person, the officer found a loaded handgun in his waistband.  Bright was prohibited from possessing a gun because he was previously convicted of the felony crime of kidnapping on May 2, 2014, in Canyon County.  Bright was also known to be a documented Norteno gang member.

Bright was charged as a result of an investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, which focused on the “Norteno” Northside gang that is active in Nampa and other parts of the Treasure Valley.  Fourteen individuals were indicted on drug and gun charges as a result of the investigation.  So far, eleven defendants have been sentenced.  Guadalupe Serrano, 35, of Caldwell, was sentenced on April 21, 2015, to 75 months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and for possessing firearms in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.  Nicole Danelle Nieto, 31, of Nampa, was sentenced on May 26, 2015, to 41 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.  Jose Manuel Menchaca, 35, of Nampa, was sentenced on May 28, 2015, to 60 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.  On June 17, 2015, Brandi Larrea, 31, of Nampa, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine and Tara Noelle Rivera, 30, of Nampa, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.  Johnny Lee Martinez, 33, of Nampa, was sentenced on July 20, 2015, to 57 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.  Michael David Bradshaw, 31, of Nampa, was sentenced on August 6, 2015, to 66 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine.  Kenny P. Breedlove, 35, of Porterville, California, was sentenced on October 22, 2015, to 110 months for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.  Guillermo Farias Jr., 29, of Nampa, was sentenced on October 26, 2015, to time served and three years of supervised release for his role in assisting with methamphetamine distribution.  Richard Lobato, 51, of Nampa, was sentenced on December 3, 2015, to 60 months for distribution of methamphetamine.  Veronica Cantu, 26, of Nampa, was arrested in Michigan in November and is set for trial in April. One defendant, Ruben Rodriguez, 36, of Nampa, has an outstanding warrant.

These cases are the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime 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.  The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service.  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.

These cases are being 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.