FRESNO, Calif. — Michael Marcum, 46, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of ammunition and possession of a counterfeit postal key, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Marcum was being investigated for his involvement in breaking into multiple community mailboxes. While executing a search warrant at Marcum’s residence, law enforcement officers found a semi-automatic firearm with no serial number, rounds of 9 mm ammunition, stolen mail, and a counterfeit postal key that was subsequently discovered to have been forged by Marcum. Marcum is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandre Dempsey is prosecuting the case.
Marcum is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on Jan. 23, 2023. Marcum faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.