A federal grand jury has indicted Bee Her, 20, of Fresno, on five counts related to unlawful firearms sales and manufacturing. Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced the charges, which include unlawful transfer of firearms in violation of the National Firearms Act and dealing and manufacturing firearms without a license.
Court documents state that Her sold 10 firearms to undercover agents during three separate transactions. Some of these were short-barreled rifles. During these interactions, Her was informed by an undercover agent that the firearms would be sent to Mexico. Authorities also allege that Her possessed 12 privately manufactured firearm receivers and six auto-sear machine gun conversion devices intended for sale.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fresno Police Department; the Fresno Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium; and the California Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is leading the prosecution.
If convicted, Her could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined by the court after considering statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The indictment is an allegation; Bee Her is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to information released by authorities. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
Officials also stated: “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.” The U.S. Department of Justice launched an updated violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021 with goals such as fostering trust in communities, supporting prevention organizations, setting focused enforcement priorities, and measuring results through data-driven methods (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-announces-new-efforts-reduce-violent-crime).
