San Francisco, CA – April 2025 — A Richmond man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison after authorities discovered he had hidden a loaded, fully automatic handgun in his six-year-old nephew’s pants during a routine traffic stop.
Darneko Yates, 30, was sentenced to 46 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). The sentencing follows a one-day bench trial on January 17, 2025, where Yates was found guilty.
According to court records, the incident occurred on August 27, 2023, when Yates was stopped by law enforcement for a vehicle infraction. Officers found his young niece and nephew in the backseat. During the stop, they discovered a loaded automatic handgun concealed in the front of the six-year-old boy’s pants. At the time, Yates was on parole for prior felony convictions, including carjacking, solicitation to commit murder, and unlawful firearm possession.
In addition to the prison sentence, Yates was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Pablo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leif Dautch and Richard Ewenstein prosecuted the case.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative led by the U.S. Department of Justice that aims to reduce gun violence and strengthen community safety through strategic law enforcement and community-based violence prevention.
Sources:
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California – justice.gov
- Department of Justice: Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative – justice.gov/psn
Florida Highway Patrol on Trafffic Stop on Wikimedia by Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos | Picture for Illustration purpose…
