A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Helan Noel Lopez-Sanchez, 32, a citizen of El Salvador, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to court documents, on January 16, 2025, law enforcement officers received information that Lopez-Sanchez, a felon who had escaped from police custody, was located at a Motel 6 in Fresno after he logged into his Snapchat account.
The Fresno Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team was activated to serve an arrest warrant at the Motel 6.
SWAT operators sent a drone into the motel room, where they observed Lopez-Sanchez with a rifle pointing the rifle at the door. Law enforcement officers ultimately took Lopez-Sanchez into custody and located ammunition as well as a short-barreled, privately manufactured rifle.
Lopez-Sanchez is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to felony convictions including bringing alcohol/drugs into a jail and grand theft.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Lopez-Sanchez 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.
Related Federal Cases
- Billy Fobbs, Felon in Possession of Ammunition, California 2024 · Florida
- Jesus Antonio Munoz, Felon with Firearm, California 2023 · California
- Evan Moore, Felon with Firearm, California 2023 · California
- Sacramento Felon Caught with Loaded Firearm, Cocaine · Virginia
- Giomar Lopez Meireles, SNAP Heist & Gun Possession, Rhode Island 2024 · California
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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