ORANGE, Texas — An Orange man will spend 50 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a federal firearms violation.
Michael Lawrence Geral, Jr., 35, pleaded guilty on October 4, 2022, to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston with the Eastern District of Texas.
On December 13, 2021, Geral was stopped for a traffic violation by Orange Police officers. As officers spoke with Geral, they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Officers searched the vehicle and found a firearm, in which Geral then admitted was his.
Geral is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms, according to the release.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
From a Eastern District of Texas news release:
An Orange, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today. Michael Lawrence Geral, Jr., 35, pleaded guilty on Oct. 4, 2022, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone. According to information presented in court, on Dec. 13, 2021, Geral was stopped for a traffic violation by officers with the Orange Police Department. As officers spoke with Geral, they smelled the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a firearm which Geral admitted was his. Geral is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
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