Richmond convicted felon found guilty of using 6-year-old nephew to hide gun
A Richmond felon who hid a firearm in the pants of his 6-year-old nephew was found guilty of being in possession of a gun, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Darneko Yates, 30, was pulled over by police in San Pablo in August 2023 for a vehicle infraction. Officers said he drove several blocks before stopping partially on the sidewalk at a relative's house.
He was on parole for three felonies including carjacking, solicitation to commit murder and being in possession of a loaded firearm. As a felon, he is barred from having or being near any guns.
As a parolee, Yates was subject to searches, which police carried out on his person. In the backseat of Yates' car were his nephew and niece. Though officers didn't find anything on Yates, when his 6-year-old nephew got out of the car, he appeared to urge the child to go inside quickly. The child moved slowly and kept his back to the officers, prosecutors said.
When officers looked at the front of the child, they saw an object tucked into the front of his pants. It turned out to be a Glock firearm loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition. The gun had a "Glock switch" or "machinegun conversion device," which allows a shooter to fire an endless stream of bullets with one pull of the trigger, prosecutors said.
Investigators learned Yates sent text messages telling someone to come get the nephew out of the car before the police searched the vehicle in which he admitted that the child had his gun on him.
"Using a child to conceal a loaded, fully automatic firearm shows an alarming disregard for their safety and well-being," said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin in a statement released by the DOJ.
Yates was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and is facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2025.
