A Santa Paula man has been found guilty by a jury of a multitude of firearms-related felonies, according to a release from District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. Refugio Cortez, born on July 18, 1986, faced convictions on July 17, 2024, for 11 felony counts related to the unlawful owning, possession, or control of firearms by a convicted felon, and a single count for a person prohibited from having ammunition. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced the verdict, which acquitted him of an additional misdemeanor count of identity theft.
Last December, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office detectives executed a search warrant at a residence belonging to Cortez’s mother, where he was known to store personal items. While probing the backyard, detectives unearthed a locked shed secured with a combination lock and upon entry, they discovered a stash consisting of an AK-47 rifle among other firearms, and various rounds of ammunition. Having had a previous felony conviction in 2015 for driving under the influence with a past felony, Cortez legally stood barred from firearm possession.
Deputy District Attorney Hyla Schneir took charge, with the special enforcement team from Sheriff's Office West County playing a proactive role in Cortez's apprehension. "Our community is safer without these firearms and ammunition in Cortez’s possession," Schneir said in a statement highlighted by the district attorney's office. The investigative efforts effectively led to the removal of the illicit weapons cache and the subsequent legal affirmation of Cortez's prohibited arms possession.
With Cortez's sentencing planned for September 4, 2024, he will be facing the justice system once again to account for these charges — this time in Ventura County Superior Court's courtroom 25. Until then, he remains in custody, bail not granted, as reported by Joey Buttitta, Communications Manager and PIO of the district attorney’s office. The convictions also bear the weight of prior violations of probation or parole and his prior time served in prison, potentially influencing his upcoming sentence.
