SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dezmaighne McClain, 31, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to 10 years in prison for three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On April 6, 2022, a federal jury found McClain guilty on all three counts after a two-day trial.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 15, 2019, while on felony parole, McClain sold a firearm to an individual within minutes of 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, both before and after the July 15 sale. McClain is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on his prior felony convictions, which include robbery, assault, possessing a controlled substance for sale, and illegal possession of a firearm.
During a search of McClain’s residence, agents found more firearms, ammunition, and an AR‑15-style “ghost gun” hidden in the garage. Ghost guns do not contain serial numbers and are sold without background checks, making them difficult to trace and easy to acquire by criminals.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michele Beckwith and Audrey Hemesath prosecuted the case.
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.