Troy Franklin Sentenced in Fresno Gun Case

Fresno streets coughed up another violent felon with a trigger finger when Troy Franklin, 34, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in federal prison for illegally possessing an AR-15 rifle with a sawed barrel and a Glock pistol. Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill handed down the sentence in a packed courtroom, underscoring the federal crackdown on repeat gun offenders.

Franklin, a prohibited person due to prior felony convictions, bought the short-barreled AR-15 in a move that lit up federal radar. Minutes after the purchase, officers attempted a traffic stop on the black Range Rover he was driving. Instead of pulling over, Franklin hit the gas. He abandoned the SUV blocks away, bolted on foot, and was later found cowering in a nearby apartment—where cops seized the Glock he’d ditched in a panic.

The AR-15, wrapped in a towel on the back seat of the Range Rover, measured less than 16 inches in barrel length—making it a Class 3 NFA firearm requiring federal registration. Franklin had no such paperwork. Authorities found him thanks to a coordinated sweep by the ATF, FBI, California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, and Fresno PD.

Federal prosecutors Jeffrey A. Spivak and Kimberly A. Sanchez pushed hard for maximum accountability, citing the danger posed by unregistered, high-powered rifles in urban areas. The case, docketed as 1:16-cr-144 LJO, was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods—a national initiative targeting violent gun crime through federal-local task forces.

On a parallel track, Stephen Walker, 42, also of Fresno, admitted guilt in a separate but linked case—1:16-cr-088 LJO—pleading to being an armed career criminal. Walker, no stranger to domestic violence, had three prior felony convictions for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. Despite that, he was found in possession of a Jennings pistol and live ammunition.

Walker’s sentencing is set for May 21, 2018, before Judge O’Neill. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, plus a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors Jeffrey A. Spivak and Ross Pearson are handling the case, built on evidence from the FBI and Fresno Police. Both cases reflect the federal government’s iron-fisted approach to felons who rearm—sending a clear message: pull a trigger you shouldn’t have, and the system will come down hard.

RELATED: Johnathan Holt Gets Life for Racketeering, Murder

RELATED: North Carolina Check Fraud Kingpin Sentenced to 85 Months