Fresno Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Ammunition Loaded in a “Ghost Gun” (DOJ)

FRESNO, Calif. - Felipe Macias, 28, of Fresno, was sentenced Thursday to six years and five months in prison by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, in August 2024, Macias was observed on a city bus in Fresno with the grip of a firearm protruding from his waistband. Undercover officers converged on Macias in a smoke shop, where they recovered a black "ghost gun" - a privately manufactured, un-serialized firearm loaded with a high-capacity magazine. At the time of his arrest, Macias was a previously convicted felon on post-release community supervision. Macias pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2025.

Close-up of recovered ghost gun, showing missing serial number

The Fresno Police Department, the Selma Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.