37-year-old Jesus 'Shotgun' Paniagua, of Bakersfield, was indicted by a federal judge for illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment on Paniagua for being a felon in possession of a firearm and failing to register a firearm in the National Firearms Registry.
According to court documents, on Oct. 4, Paniagua, a previously convicted felon, was found in possession of an unregistered 20 gauge shotgun that was less than 26 inches long in violation of federal law.
The case was investigated by the Bakersfield Police Department as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
If convicted, Paniagua faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.