February 14, 2022 - FRESNO, Calif. — Jesus B. Cordero, 26, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to possession of ammunition after sustaining a domestic violence conviction, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, at approximately midnight on Sept. 5, 2020, law enforcement officers stopped Cordero for traffic infractions while he was driving in Bakersfield. Cordero did not have a driver’s license and gave a false name to the responding police officers. During a search of Cordero’s vehicle, officers located a baggie containing approximately 45.5 grams of methamphetamine, which Cordero possessed intending to distribute it to others. Officers also discovered in Cordero’s vehicle a 9 mm unmarked privately made handgun known as a “ghost gun” loaded with a high-capacity magazine and 23 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. Cordero may not possess firearms or ammunition because he previously was convicted of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.

Cordero is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on May 9, 2022. Cordero faces a maximum term 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 being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Source: DOJ Release