SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 38-count indictment today against David Guevara-Pimentel, 22, of Fort Drum, New York, formerly of Sacramento, charging him with dealing and manufacturing firearms without a license, illegal possession of a machine gun, possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Guevara-Pimentel was arrested on January 22, 2016, in New York, where he was stationed as a U.S. Army Private. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command made the arrest.
According to court documents, on 19 separate occasions between August 11, 2014, and April 29, 2015, Guevara-Pimentel met with an undercover agent and sold him a variety of firearms, including a short-barreled shotgun, unserialized AR-15-style rifles, and handguns. On many of these occasions, Guevara-Pimentel sold the agent methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin. Altogether, Guevara-Pimentel sold the undercover agent 49 firearms, many of which lacked a serial number or other identifying markings. On January 22, 2016, Guevara-Pimentel was found to possess a fully automatic machine gun.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the West Sacramento Police Department, and the Woodland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Ross K. Naughton is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Guevara-Pimentel faces the following possible penalties: a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charges of dealing firearms without a license and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for illegal possession a machine gun, 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for any of the narcotics-distribution charges. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.