Texas Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - William Lesley, 34, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to four years and nine months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers conducted a parole search in Galt at the residence of Lesley's co-defendant, Dexter Weeks, 35, a known felon on parole. While clearing the residence, officers encountered Lesley as he was coming out of a bedroom. In the bedroom where Lesley had exited, officers found a loaded Ruger pistol in a backpack on the floor near the bed. Lesley is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has multiple state felony convictions.

After pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, Weeks was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2024, to seven years in prison.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Haddy Abouzeid 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. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice 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.