Department of Justice

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael Ray Pitre, Jr., 36, of Vallejo, was sentenced Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to three years and 4 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, the execution of federal search warrants of Pitre’s person, residences, and vehicles led to the discovery of a non-serialized machine gun, a short barrel rifle, and a pistol in Pitre’s possession. The machine gun, which was located in the defendant’s truck, was loaded with a 60-round extended magazine, and was placed on top of a bag containing a mask, additional extended magazines and ammunition, and two tracking devices. Pitre cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of two felony offenses, including for his participation in a residential burglary that resulted in the death of one of his coconspirators and serious gunshot injuries to an innocent victim.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Oakland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.