Mountain View Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Ammunition Charge

David Benjamin Cordeiro

A Mountain View man pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of ammunition after having been previously convicted on a domestic violence misdemeanor charge.

US Attorney Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawai‘i announced 37-year-old David Benjamin Cordeiro’s plea during a press conference on Thursday. Officials also highlighted the federal case against Austin Borja-Haumea, 24, of Kekaha, who pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm while being subject to an active protection order.

Cordeiro’s charge stems from an incident that occurred in September 2018. According to authorities, the 37-year-old possessed multiple rounds of ammunition and fired into a stopped car while a woman was seated in the driver’s seat.

Cordeiro had previously been convicted of domestic violence against an intimate partner. In light of his prior domestic violence conviction, federal law prohibited Cordeiro from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2020 before US District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi.

The case against Cordeiro was investigated by the Hawaii County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Early.

Charges against Borja-Haumea stem from an incident in February 2018 when he possessed an unloaded shotgun while seated in a car on Kaua‘i. The 24-year-old was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he was subject to an order for protection that had been filed by a family member due to domestic violence.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 15, 2020.

“These prosecutions are examples of the federal law enforcement community holding individuals accountable for possessing firearms and ammunition, when federal law expressly prohibits them from doing so. Law enforcement officials will continue to protect our communities by sending a strong enforcement message to prior offenders who have no business possessing a firearm or ammunition,” officials stated in a press release from the US Attorney’s Office District of Hawai‘i.

These prosecutions are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.