Bakersfield Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Machine Gun

FRESNO, Calif. — Liodam Gonzalez, 28, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to unlawful possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 30, 2019, Liodam Gonzalez fired a fully automatic handgun in a residential neighborhood in Bakersfield. At the time of his arrest, Gonzalez was a convicted felon and was member of the West Side Baker criminal street gang. Police officers found and seized the machine gun in Gonzalez’s residence.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Newman is prosecuting the case.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Oct. 16. Gonzalez faces a maximum 10-year prison term and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.