FORMER GANG MEMBER CONVICTED OF POSSESSING AMMUNITION

A former Northside street gang member was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 32 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a single .45 caliber round of ammunition.

Rock Mendoza, 24, of Nampa, was sentenced Thursday afternoon before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

After he completes his prison term, Mendoza will be on supervised release for three years, during which he may have no contact with any gang member or gang paraphernalia.

Mendoza was arrested after officers located one round of ammunition in his front pants pocket. He had previously been convicted of Grand Theft and Possession of a Controlled Substance in Canyon County. Under federal law, it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess either a firearm or ammunition. This was Mendoza's thirteenth adult criminal conviction.

The case was investigated by the Caldwell City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case is part of Idaho's Project Safe Neighborhoods program.

NOTE: The Department of Justice does not give out photographs of defendants. Photos can sometimes be obtained through local jails or other agencies.