Grand Jury Indicts 3 California Men Suspected of Firearms Trafficking

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) points to a photograph of a rifle with a bump stock during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 4, 2017. Ms. Feinstein was explaining her bill banning devices that could make weapons fully automatic. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment June 6 against three California residents suspected of conspiring to commit firearms trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Wendell Moton, 33, of Fresno, Donnie Hicks, 33, of Visalia, and McCael Marshall, 34, of Visalia, were charged after the they allegedly arranged to sell a machine gun to an undercover agent through the internet, according to authorities.

The three were stopped by investigators on the way to the sale, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.

The case was part of Operation Gridlock, a long-term investigation by federal, state, and local law enforcement into a network of violent criminal street gangs.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence.