Mitchell Jason Ranes, also known as Cricket and a member of the Yakama Nation, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke handed down the sentence in Yakima, Washington. After completing his prison term, Ranes will serve three years on federal supervised release.
Court records show that Ranes has a long history of criminal activity involving firearms. In 2000, he was convicted of drive-by shooting and received a 33-month prison sentence. Following his release, he violated supervised release terms and returned to prison. In 2007, he was convicted again—this time for being a felon in possession of a firearm—and sentenced to 77 months. He later violated supervision conditions once more and served additional time.
Most recently, Ranes was convicted on January 23, 2024 for being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. After his release on March 25, 2024 and placement on supervised release, he violated the terms again and received a time-served sentence with an added period of supervision.
On January 22, 2025, law enforcement sought Ranes due to an outstanding arrest warrant. He was seen in a vehicle whose driver attempted to evade police before crashing near a residence; officers then apprehended Ranes. During booking at Yakima County jail, six rounds of ammunition were found in his pocket—a new federal offense.
A federal indictment was filed against him on April 9, 2025 for being a felon in possession of ammunition. He pleaded guilty on October 17, 2025.
Judge Dimke imposed the latest sentence based largely on what she described as Ranes’ extensive criminal history involving firearms and repeated failures to engage with substance abuse services offered during prior periods of supervision.
United States Attorney Serrano commented: “I’m grateful to our office for pursuing this case. While some may question why the United States would prosecute the possession of ammunition, there is no need to look beyond Mr. Ranes’ persistent firearms-related criminal history. Yakima is now safer with Mr. Ranes off the streets for the next 7 years.”
Lieutenant Church from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office stated: “This case is a great example of collaboration with fellow law enforcement and federal partners working to get a dangerous person with a significant criminal history off the streets for a significant amount of time. This type of collaboration is what it takes to truly make an impact on public safety in Yakima County. Thanks again to our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney’s Office.”
W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Seattle field office said: “Mr. Ranes has a pattern of criminal history dating back over a quarter century in which he repeatedly violated his supervised release and persisted in possessing firearms despite being prohibited from doing so by federal law,” adding that “Together with our partners, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Forces will continue to combat violent crime throughout the state of Washington and nationwide.”
The investigation was conducted by members from several agencies including the Southeast Washington Safe Streets Task Force (composed of agents from the FBI), Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, Toppenish Police Department, and U.S Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Hanlon prosecuted the case.
