2 Northern California men sentenced, 1 pleads guilty in fed crime crackdown
Two Northern California men were sentenced and another pleaded guilty to federal crimes targeted by Project Safe Neighborhoods, a law enforcement operation aimed at reducing gun violence.
Sean Robinson, 37, of Stockton, pleaded guilty earlier this month to illegally possessing a firearm. A search of his residence in 2022 yielded a Glock 27 semi-automatic firearm and a loaded magazine inside a vehicle. The gun had been reported stolen out of Sacramento, U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert's office said in a statement Monday.
Robinson is barred from possessing weapons after being convicted of elder abuse and for carrying a loaded firearm in public.
Law enforcement began investigating Robinson at least as early as May 2021, when surveillance footage captured him engaging in a violent shootout at the Grand Hyatt Hotel near San Francisco International Airport. During this case, Robinson and a compatriot attempted to carjack at least two other vehicles.
Following the shootout, law enforcement officers seized a black duffel bag that surveillance footage captured Robinson carrying just before the firefight began and contained three illegal firearms.
Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2025. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Vallejo resident Jacob Harding-Abeyta, 31, was sentenced on Sept. 10 to four years and nine months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and having cocaine.
Harding-Abeyta was previously convicted in Solano County for attempted murder in 2014.
On Oct. 7, 2020, a parole search of Harding-Abeyta's residence revealed a loaded .45-caliber Springfield XDS firearm in his bedroom.
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, prosecutors said.
Soven Leng, 34, of Stockton, was also sentenced this month as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
On Sept. 10, Leng was given two years and six months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He has several prior felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a loaded firearm, being in possession of a stolen vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.
In October 2023, Leng was found to be in possession of a Glock-17 9 mm pistol.
According to prosecutors, Project Safe Neighborhoods is 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."