FRESNO, Calif. — Marquis Hawkins, 30, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday to five years and 10 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2019, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on a car that Hawkins was driving. During the traffic stop, the officers searched Hawkins and found a loaded .38‑caliber revolver inside his sweatshirt pocket. Hawkins is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has previously been convicted of two crimes of domestic violence.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.
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.