Williston man sentenced on firearm charge
Bismarck -- A Williston man charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon has been sentenced to 15 years in a federal prison, outgoing North Dakota U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon announced Monday.
A federal jury convicted Gabriel Lazaro Garcia-Hernandez, 54, on felony charges stemming from a Northwest Narcotics Task Force search warrant. Officers executed a search warrant in January on Garcia-Hernandez’s residence, where they found a small amount of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, five firearms -- including four handguns and a .22 caliber rifle whose serial number had been scratched off -- and over 300 rounds of ammunition.
Garcia-Hernandez was prohibited from possessing either a firearm or ammunition after multiple prior felony convictions, including a 1991 New Jersey conviction for aggravated assault and armed robbery, a 1995 Florida conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and a 2003 Florida conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping.
U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland sentenced Garcia-Hernandez to three years of supervised release following his 15-year sentence, as well as to pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.
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The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Northwest Narcotics Task Force; the Williams County Sheriff’s Office; the Williston Police Department; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant North Dakota U.S. Attorney David Hagler prosecuted the case.
