FRESNO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.
FRESNO, Calif. — Simon Meza Jr., 38, of Fresno, was sentenced Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to four years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition that was found in his loaded gun, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 19, 2020, in Fresno, police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Meza. Meza did not yield, but instead, recklessly fled in his vehicle. Officers discontinued the pursuit, but later located Meza’s vehicle abandoned at a business on South Sarah Avenue. Officers located Meza hiding in a nearby park. Surveillance video from the business showed Meza discarding a bag containing a loaded firearm and a wallet with Meza’s California identification card inside. Meza has multiple prior convictions for illegal weapons and drug possession and is prohibited from possessing ammunition.
This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Schuh prosecuted the case.
This case is being 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.
