SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Steven Refugio Rodriguez, 57, of Stockton, today charging him with being a felon in possession of firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, on May 7, 2026, Rodriguez was stopped by a deputy sheriff for expired vehicle registration. Because Rodriguez was on parole and subject to a search, the deputy searched the car and found a Harrington and Richardson, 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun with an 8-inch barrel and several 12-gauge rounds. Rodriguez has multiple felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms. 

On May 3, 2021, Rodriguez was sentenced to 21 years in prison for assault with a machine gun on a peace officer. In November 2025, Rodriguez was granted compassionate release in state court on the grounds that he had only a few months to live, could not walk, feed himself, or perform daily tasks without assistance. Yet when deputies pulled him over on May 7, he showed no signs of trouble walking unassisted. While incarcerated in the San Joaquin County Jail, Rodriguez made several calls indicating that he planned to flee from prosecution once he posted bail.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zulkar Khan is prosecuting the case. 

If convicted, Rodriguez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.