ALBUQERQUE, N.M. – Michael Deherrera, 26, of Belen, New Mexico, was sentenced in federal court on April 11 to five years in prison for carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Deherrera was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 29, 2020. According to the plea agreement, on Feb. 3, 2020, DeHerrera carjacked a victim by threating her with a screwdriver in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. DeHerrera began to drive away with the victim still in the car, causing her to jump from the moving vehicle to escape. DeHerrera also admitted that on Feb. 18, 2020, he possessed a firearm before attempting to dispose of it by throwing it from the window of a moving vehicle.
At the time DeHerrera possessed the firearm, he had a prior felony conviction for armed robbery. As a convicted felon, DeHerrera could not legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fredrick T. Mendenhall is prosecuting the case.