Hells Angel from Fairfield pleads guilty to possessing modified guns
FAIRFIELD (CBS SF/BCN) – A Fairfield man who is also a member of the Vallejo chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of a gun with an altered serial number and possession of a short-barreled shotgun, federal prosecutors said.
The guilty plea from 30-year-old Michael Mahoney was issued in a federal courtroom in Sacramento, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.
On Dec. 8, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Mahoney's home as part of an investigation into a brutal beating at the clubhouse for the Vallejo chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
Prosecutors said that in October 2021, two different victims -- both of whom were members of a different motorcycle club that is considered a "puppet" (or subordinate) club of the Hells Angels -- were beaten by Mahoney and other club members based on perceived infractions of the Hells Angels' rules.
During the December 2021 search of Mahoney's Fairfield home, prosecutors said that law enforcement found several firearms, including a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver with a serial number that had been scratched off, as well as a Sears & Roebuck 12-gauge shotgun with a barrel that had been sawed off to approximately 12.75 inches in length.
Mahoney had not registered his ownership of this short-barreled shotgun with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.
This case is the product of an investigation by Solano County District Attorney's Office, Solano County Sheriff's Office, Vacaville Police Department, Vallejo Police Department, Fairfield Police Department, FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Pennekamp and Jason Hitt are prosecuting the case.
At his sentencing on May 2, 2023, by U.S. District Judge John Mendez, Mahoney will face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.