SAN FRANCISCO – The Hayward man behind an iconic 2021 photo has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for possessing guns that police found during a raid on his residence, court records show.

Christopher Gonzalez-Nunez, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in late September after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. It’s a pretty standard gun possession case, except for two things: Gonzalez-Nunez’s connection to a photo that went viral on social media in 2021, and his association with a group of notorious gang members behind a series of of crimes.

Gonzalez-Nunez was charged last year after police found three firearms in his Hayward residence during a raid in June 2023. Prosecutors say they also have evidence he was offering guns for sale on Instagram.

In 2021, Gonzalez-Nunez allegedly drove a car in a sideshow while his girlfriend sat out the window with a miniature AK-47. One viewer snapped a picture that seemed to exemplify the wickedness that is inherent in why some people love sideshows and others hate them. The photo went viral on social media, but the identity of its subjects was a mystery until prosecutors brought the case against Gonzalez-Nunez in 2023.

In addition, authorities say Gonzalez-Nunez was associated Norteño gang members who were responsible for the crimes in the area. Among them was Fernando Madrigal, a justice reform activist who appeared at a demonstration against gun violence alongside the mother of a man he had killed before being charged in the shooting.

But Gonzalez-Nunez has taken steps to improve his life, prosecutors acknowledged in a sentencing memo, praising his “maturing and development” since the indictment.

“He was gainfully employed as a tow truck operator. He has a small child,” the prosecution’s sentencing memo said, also praising him for pleading guilty. The note later adds: “And when the government took the risk of agreeing to a short-term release so that González could spend Christmas with his young child and family, there were no problems during his release or his surrender by itself”.