SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jacob Harding-Abeyta, 31, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to possession of cocaine for sale, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Oct. 7, 2020, a parole search of Harding-Abeyta’s residence resulted in the discovery of a loaded .45-caliber Springfield XDS firearm in his bedroom. Harding-Abeyta is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he was previously convicted in Solano County for attempted murder in 2014. Officers also discovered 39 grams of powder cocaine, a digital scale, plastic baggies, and other drug paraphernalia. A search of his phone revealed that he was selling this and other cocaine. Additionally, Harding-Abeyta also admitted in his plea agreement that he committed obstruction of justice by attempting to suborn perjury of a witness during a prior evidentiary hearing in this case.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Haddy Abouzeid, Jason Hitt and Adrian T. Kinsella are prosecuting the case.
Harding-Abeyta is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Sept. 10, 2024. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearm charge and a maximum sentence of 20 year in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for the drug charge. The actual 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.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
