Hells Angels member faces up to 5 years for weapons plea
Fairfield Hells Angel member will be sentenced this May
A member of the Solano County Hells Angels motorcycle club was convicted of weapons charges following an assault investigation.
Michael Mahoney, 30, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty at U.S. Federal Court yesterday to possession of a firearm with an obliterated or altered serial number and possessing an unregistered short-barreled shotgun.
The plea comes after a Dec. 8, 2021 search warrant at Mahoney’s residence. That search warrant from an investigation into a brutal beating at the clubhouse for the Vallejo chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. 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 search, 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 sawed-ff shotgun with a 12.75-inch barrel.
Mahoney had not registered his ownership of this short-barreled shotgun with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.
Sentencing is on May 2, 2023, by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez and Mahoney faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for possessing a firearm with an obliterated or altered serial number. Additionally, Mahoney faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for possessing an unregistered short-barreled shotgun.
