Department of Justice

PLANO, Texas – A Pasadena, CA man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Uri Reto Seiser, 37, pleaded guilty on Sep. 3, 2021 to being a felon in possession of ammunition and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan.  Seiser was ordered not to have any contact with any victim, witness or any other individual associated with this case.  Seiser was also prohibited from entering the State of Texas without prior authorization from the U.S. Probation Office.  

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates excellent coordination between local and federal law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.  “Patrol officers’ actions on the street likely prevented the use of violence against an innocent person.  These are the types of actions our law enforcement partners take every day to keep their communities safe, and most of the time these acts go unnoticed.”

According to information presented in court, on Nov. 14, 2020, an officer with the Corinth Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Seiser.  Seiser stated he had just arrived from California to "reconcile" with his girlfriend, who had filed harassment charges on him.  Seiser was subsequently arrested for that outstanding harassment warrant.  During a search of his vehicle, the officer located a loaded untraceable homemade firearm, commonly known as a “ghost gun” and 49 rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition.

Evidence presented in court showed that Seiser had been threatening his ex-girlfriend for several months after she moved from California to Texas.  Seiser admitted that he assembled the weapon fully aware that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition because he was a convicted felon.  Seiser had previously been convicted of violating a protective order, a felony offense, in Pasadena, CA, on June 20, 2019.

Seiser was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 9, 2020, and charged with a federal firearms violation.

This case was 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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Corinth Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Batson.

###