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. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke in Yakima, Washington. After serving his prison term, Ranes will be subject to three years of federal supervised release.
Court records show that Ranes has a long criminal history related to firearms. In 2000, he was convicted of drive-by shooting and served nearly three years in prison. Following his release, he violated the terms of his supervised release and returned to prison. In 2007, Ranes was again convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to over six years in prison. He repeated violations during subsequent periods of supervised release.
Most recently, on January 23, 2024, Ranes was convicted for another firearm-related offense and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. After his release and while on supervised release beginning March 25, 2024, he again violated the terms.
On January 22, 2025, law enforcement officers were searching for Ranes due to an outstanding warrant. He was spotted in a vehicle whose driver attempted to evade police before crashing near a residence. During booking at Yakima County jail, officers found six rounds of ammunition in Ranes’ pocket—a new federal offense.
A federal indictment was filed against him on April 9, 2025. He pleaded guilty on October 17, 2025.
Judge Dimke imposed the sentence based on what she described as Ranes’ lengthy criminal history involving firearms and noted that despite multiple opportunities for substance abuse services while under supervision, he did not take advantage but instead continued with new criminal activity.
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 said: “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 added: “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,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “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 Southeast Washington Safe Streets Task Force led this investigation; its members include agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, Toppenish Police Department, and U.S Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Hanlon prosecuted this case.
