LINCOLN, CA – A felon, wanted by the authorities had the unfortunate pleasure of his car breaking down at the wrong place at the wrong time.
At about 10:20 PM on October 20th a Lincoln Police Officer observed a vehicle on the shoulder of Twelve Bridges Drive, just east of Industrial Avenue. The officer contacted the sole occupant who was sitting in the driver’s seat, who was identified at 37-year-old Ricardo Duran of San Francisco. Duran was found to be on federal and county probation and was arrested for a warrant (violation of federal probation). He was found to be in possession of a loaded, concealed, firearm, methamphetamine and heroin.
Duran was arrested for possession of a controlled substance while armed, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded/unregistered firearm, concealed firearm in a vehicle, and felon in possession of ammunition. He was booked at the South Placer Jail.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a San Francisco man, arrested in Lincoln, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of controlled substances, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
Ricardo Manuel Duran, 37, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of heroin, and possession of methamphetamine. According to court documents, on Oct. 20, Duran possessed a Smith and Wesson handgun and was further found to be in possession of heroin and methamphetamine. Duran has been convicted of six prior felonies – two of them for being a felon in possession of a firearm – and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Nelsen is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Duran faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.
This case is a 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.
This case is also a part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.