Citizen of Mexico Sentenced to 3 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Cesar Ordonez Gonzalez, 32, a citizen of Mexico found in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Ordonez Gonzalez pleaded guilty to this charge on June 3, 2026.

On December 27, 2025, Ordonez Gonzalez approached a parked vehicle and displayed a firearm from his pocket to the driver and passenger. The occupants drove away and reported it to law enforcement. Officers then saw Ordonez Gonzalez running away from the scene, arrested him, and found the stolen firearm on his person. Ordonez Gonzalez was previously convicted of strangulation and suffocation, a class H felony, in Dane County Circuit Court.

At sentencing, Judge Conley considered Ordonez Gonzalez's violent prior conviction and determined that he presents a risk to society.

The charge against Ordonez Gonzalez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department, the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Agents from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Remington and Colleen Lennon prosecuted this case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe.