SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury found Dezmaighne McClain, 31, of Sacramento, guilty on Wednesday of three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, McClain, while on felony parole, sold a firearm to an individual on July 15, 2019, soon after meeting the person at the parole office. McClain sold the same individual another firearm on July 30, 2019, and continued to discuss potential firearms sales after that date. Evidence at trial showed that McClain also sold guns to others while on parole. McClain is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on his prior felony convictions, which include robbery, assault, and illegal possession of a firearm. During a search of McClain’s residence, agents found more firearms, ammunition, and an assault rifle style “ghost” gun hidden in the garage.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michele Beckwith and Audrey Hemesath are prosecuting the case.
McClain is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on July 11, 2022. McClain faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. 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.