Christian Sangiovanni, Felon in Possession of Firearms, New Mexico 2010

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Christian Alexander Sangiovanni, 32, of Albuquerque, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Sangiovanni was arrested in August 2012, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The indictment alleged that Sangiovanni unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition on April 25, 2010, in Bernalillo County, N.M.

At the time, Sangiovanni was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of the following three felony offenses in the 12th Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico: embezzlement in 2000; sexual exploitation of children in 2001; battery on a police officer in 2003. He also previously had been convicted of possession of heroin with intent to distribute in the 4th Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico in Guadalupe County in 2005.

According to the evidence at trial, on April 25, 2010, a 17-year-old high school student encountered Sangiovanni, an acquaintance she knew through a mutual friend, at a convenience store in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque while running an errand for her mother. When the teenager parked her car, Sangiovanni got into the front passenger seat. After yanking the car keys out of the ignition and slapping a cellphone out of the teenager’s hand to prevent her from calling for help, Sangiovanni pulled a firearm out, brandished the weapon at the teenager, and threatened her against getting out of the car.

Sangiovanni has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. Sangiovanni faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison unless the court determines that he is an armed career criminal. In that event, Sangiovanni faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that the case was prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.

Sangiovanni has been charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Sentencing will be determined by the court.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/federal-jury-convicts-albuquerque-man-unlawfully-possessing-firearm