Porterville Man Pleads Guilty to Making Destructive Devices and Unlawfully Possessing a Silencer

FRESNO, Calif. - Joseph Marcus Silva, 28, of Porterville, pleaded guilty today to possessing an unregistered silencer and manufacturing three destructive devices, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Silva manufactured three destructive devices, all of which were designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive and were designed for use as a weapon. Silva used a 3D-printer to make two of the destructive devices. One of the destructive devices was similar to a military claymore mine with flash powder that read, "FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY." A military Claymore mine is a directional fragmentation, antipersonnel mine that will incapacitate, injure, or kill one or more persons. The second 3D-printed destructive device was a military-type M67 grenade. Silva also made a destructive device using a glass tube with flash powder, BB's, and a fuse and was in possession of a silencer that was not registered to him.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Tulare County Agency Regional Gun Violence Enforcement Team of the California Department of Justice and the Porterville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Silva was previously ordered detained based on evidence of trafficking in firearms and drugs. He is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 21, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Silva faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the four charges. 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 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.