Cheyenne man sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm

Zachary James Hernandez, 43, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to 180 months' imprisonment with three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on March 27, 2023, the Cheyenne Police Department responded to shots fired in the 800 block of West 6^th Street in Cheyenne. According to witnesses, the defendant showed up at the residence and began firing shots before demanding that an occupant of the house come out. Once the occupant was out of the house, Hernandez forced her into his vehicle at gunpoint, pointed the gun at another witness, then drove off. Police located the vehicle nearby and initiated a traffic stop. Hernandez was arrested and officers located a Sig Sauer SP 2340 .40-caliber pistol in the vehicle. During questioning, Hernandez admitted to being a felon and to knowing that he was not allowed to possess a firearm.

Hernandez was indicted on July 19, 2023, and transferred to federal custody in June of 2024. He pleaded guilty on Aug. 21. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Nov. 14. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Case No. 23-CR-00101