Jordanian National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Short-Barreled Rifle

FRESNO, Calif. - Yahya Yaghmour, 43, a Jordanian national who holds dual U.S. citizenship and resides in Fresno, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a short-barreled rifle, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court records, in August 2025, the FBI arrested Yaghmour in connection with a fraud investigation. After Yaghmour's arrest, he was heard on a recorded jail call instructing his wife to dispose of something that was in a safe in their house. The FBI then searched the house and found an AR-style rifle with a barrel length of 11 inches hidden in a safe in the master bedroom behind several other firearms. Importantly, because the rifle has a barrel length of less than 16 inches and can therefore be more easily concealed, it is considered a short-barreled rifle under the law and must be registered in the federal National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Yaghmour did not register the rifle as required.

Yaghmour has significant experience with firearms and had previously tried to obtain work as gun salesman or gunsmith. He also admitted to authorities that he had built the AR-style rifle they found and that he knew it had a barrel length of less than 16 inches.

This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

Yaghmour is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on October 26, 2026. Yaghmour faces maximum statutory penalties of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.