Vacaville Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Possession And Manufacturing DMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Robert Charles Crist, 58, of Vacaville, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm and manufacturing a controlled substance, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Crist's home and found a lab he used to manufacture N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, or "DMT," a Schedule I controlled substance. Crist traveled to Hawaii to obtain plant materials for manufacturing DMT, which he mailed back to California. From the plant materials, Crist extracted DMT liquid, which he then converted into a smokable crystalline form for distribution. Officers also found Crist in possession of a firearm. Crist is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has five prior felony convictions.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the Solano County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Emily G. Sauvageau is prosecuting the case.

Crist is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Dena Coggins on March 21, 2025. Crist faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the firearm count and a maximum of 20 years in prison for the manufacturing a controlled substance count. The actual sentence, however, will 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.

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 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.