Five Bullard High alumni indicted in interstate gun trafficking case

A federal grand jury has indicted five Fresno men whom prosecutors say turned a Bullard High School friendship into an interstate gun pipeline, buying weapons in Texas and reselling them in California. The defendants, Harman Pahal, Cameron Chouanmasay, Colton Malone, Julian Calderon and Jaskarn Batth, were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin Guy Castillo and pleaded not guilty.

The four-count indictment, returned June 25, 2026, says the alleged conspiracy ran from December 2024 through April 2026. Prosecutors say the men met while attending Bullard High School, were not licensed to deal, manufacture or import firearms, and used social media to advertise and sell guns. The case was assigned a status conference for Oct. 28, 2026.

Investigators allege the group repeatedly traveled from Fresno to Texas to obtain firearms for resale in California. During trips in December 2024, they allegedly acquired multiple weapons, including Draco-style AK-type pistols and other handguns, then brought them back to Fresno for sale. Federal prosecutors say the online promotion and cross-state sourcing drew Homeland Security Investigations into the case, with help from the Fresno Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is prosecuting the case. If convicted, the five men face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count for conspiracy to unlawfully deal firearms, unlicensed dealing and unlawful importation. A separate interstate-travel count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The case lands in a district that spans more than 87,000 square miles across 34 counties and includes Fresno, one of six major urban areas in the Eastern District of California. That reach has made interstate gun cases a regular federal priority in the Valley, especially when investigators say a local social circle moved weapons across state lines and tried to move them through social media sales.