Ogden Man Found Guilty of Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition as a Convicted Felon

Salt Lake City, Utah - A federal jury in Salt Lake City returned a guilty verdict Thursday against a convicted felon after he unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition in 2022.

Michael Anthony Rangel, 42, of Ogden, Utah was charged by indictment in September 2022.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in July 2022, officers with the Ogden Metro Gang Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with Mr. Rangel as the passenger. Rangel, knowing he was a convicted felon and restricted from possessing a firearm and ammunition, possessed a Taurus PT111 G2 pistol. Officers seized the firearm and associated ammunition, and it was later discovered the firearm was manufactured outside the State of Utah and had traveled through interstate commerce.

Rangel's sentencing will be held at a later date before U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson, Jr. at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by Ogden Metro Gang Task Force.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Branden B. Miles and Assistant United States Attorney Luisa Gough of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN 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 about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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