Two men, including one who resisted security during retail theft, indicted for firearm offenses
FRESNO, Calif. Dec 11 2021— Bakersfield residents Spencer Manning, 27, and Jeremy Albert, 24, were charged today by a federal grand jury in separate indictments with firearm offenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 21, 2021, Manning, a self-admitted member of the Country Boy Crips criminal street gang since as early as 2015, was observed by a grocery store security guard attempting to steal merchandise and placing it in his backpack. Manning physically resisted the security guards’ attempts to detain him as he exited with the stolen merchandise. Responding police officers found a stolen Glock .40-caliber handgun loaded with a high-capacity magazine in Manning’s backpack. Manning is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He may not lawfully possess firearm because he has a prior felony conviction.
According to the court documents in a separate case, on Oct. 13, 2021, Albert was stopped as he was driving in Bakersfield because his vehicle did not have license plates. Law enforcement officers discovered the vehicle’s registration was expired, Albert did not have a driver’s license and was the subject of outstanding arrest warrants. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded 9 mm handgun under the driver’s seat, which Albert may not lawfully possess because he has two prior felony convictions for firearms offenses.
These cases are the product of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the cases.
If convicted, Manning and Albert face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
