Mark Dehart, Illegally Possessing Firearms, California 2021

Mark Dehart, a 45-year-old San Jose resident, pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle and to being a felon in possession of ammunition, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Joshua E. Jackson.

In a plea agreement he entered today, Dehart admitted that he was a convicted felon and that on June 29, 2021, law enforcement officers engaged in a parole compliance check at his residence. The law enforcement officers found a rifle with a barrel less than 9 inches long that was privately made, unregistered, and illegal to possess. Law enforcement also found ammunition that Dehart, being a convicted felon, could not possess legally.

Dehart further admitted in his plea agreement that he possessed a loaded Polymer80 brand .22 caliber privately made pistol with no serial number, an AR-15 style 5.56 caliber rifle which was also privately made and bore no serial number, and four firearm silencers, also all lacking serial or registration numbers. He also admitted that he possessed two machinegun conversion devices commonly known as a “Glock switches” that convert Glock semi-automatic pistols into machineguns. Additionally, he possessed at least an ounce of methamphetamine packaged in multiple individual baggies.

Dehart entered his guilty pleas before United States District Judge Edward J. Davila, who scheduled a sentencing status hearing for Dehart on February 27, 2023. Dehart remains out of custody pending his sentencing hearing.

Dehart pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an unregistered short-barreled firearm in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d), which carries a maximum statutory term of imprisonment of 10 years. He also pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which also carries a 10 year maximum term of imprisonment.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by ATF, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, the Santa Clara Police Department, and the Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team. This case follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s launch in five key regions of Cross-Jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces that are focused on disrupting illegal firearms trafficking.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christoffer Lee is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Lynette Dixon and Lance Libatique.

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