A Clovis mother was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for allowing her son, a convicted felon, to borrow her handgun.
Jawana Washington, 45, of Fresno, was convicted on Sept. 3, 2025, of aiding and abetting a felon in possession of a firearm as well as disposing of a firearm to a felon.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Washington agreed to give her son, Taylor Washington, her gun on March 25, 2022.
She cautioned her son, who prosecutors said was a documented gang member and convicted felon, not to do anything “crazy” and to use his own ammunition and not get her in trouble.
Agents observed Taylor Washington arrive at his mother’s apartment complex, meet with her, and leave in a vehicle.
During a traffic stop, officers recovered a Springfield Armory XD-9 handgun from the car’s center console. The gun was registered to Jawana Washington.
Prosecutors said that after the traffic stop, Jawana Washington exchanged text messages with others in which she admitted Taylor Washington had her gun and urged deletion of incriminating messages.
Taylor Washington, 24, was killed on April 10, 2025, in what police described as a gang-relate shooting in southwest Fresno.
Jawana Washington’s case was the result of multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fresno Police Department; the Fresno-area Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC); and the California Department of Justice Special Operations Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca prosecuted the case.
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A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.