SACRAMENTO, Calif. - On May 17, 2018, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Danny Lee Rhines, 34, of Vallejo, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. The indictment was unsealed on June 1, and Rhines was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan on June 4.
According to court documents, in March 2018, officers observed Rhines driving a Nissan Altima and tried to pull him over. Rhines, who was the driver and sole occupant, ran a red light and attempted to flee the police, but eventually came to a stop and was apprehended. Officers found a Ruger.22-caliber pistol in the Altima. Rhines has previously been convicted of a felony and is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.
This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Fairfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Owen Roth is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Rhines faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
