3 From Louisiana and 1 From Mississippi Sentenced to 18 Years Combined for Crimes Involving Firearms and Drug Trafficking

Monroe, Louisiana – Three people from Louisiana and one from Mississippi have been sentenced to 18 years combined for crimes involving firearms and drug trafficking

United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown stated on Thursday, March 2, 2023, that four offenders were sentenced on March 1 by United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty in four distinct cases involving drug trafficking and firearms crimes.

For being a felon in possession of a firearm, Leslie Jason Fulwiler, 50, of West Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced to 60 months (5 years) in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Fulwiler pawned two weapons in Minden, Louisiana, on or about January 28, 2021. Fulwiler returned to the pawn shop the next day to try to reclaim the firearms he had pawned but was unable to do so because he is a convicted felon. A subsequent investigation by West Monroe Police Department and ATF officials showed that the firearms Fulwiler had pawned were stolen. Fulwiler has prior felony convictions for methamphetamine possession and burglary, and he was aware that he could not carry a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon. The ATF and the West Monroe Police Department prosecuted the case, which was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Mudrick.

On firearms charges, Dantrell Rayshon Marshall, 23, of Monroe, Louisiana, was sentenced to 46 months (3 years, 10 months) in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Deputies of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle on August 31, 2022, because it had an expired Louisiana temporary license tag. When deputies approached the vehicle, they detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside and ordered both the driver and the passenger, subsequently identified as Marshall, out. Deputies recovered around 42 grams of suspected marijuana and a Springfield Armory 9mm pistol loaded with 19 rounds of ammo partially protruding from the front passenger seat after they consented to a search of the vehicle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) determined that the firearm was functioning and had traveled over state lines. Marshall was indicted on September 28, 2022, and charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm. On November 21, 2022, he pleaded guilty to the accusation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the ATF, and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tennille Gilreath.

Keith Jerome Mosley, 50, of Edwards, Mississippi, was sentenced to 78 months (6 years, 6 months) in prison with supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched an investigation into drug trafficking activities in Tensas Parish, Louisiana. On or about September 8, 2020, Louisiana State Police troopers stopped Mosley’s vehicle after discovering that he had agreed to distribute methamphetamine to an individual. Officers discovered a plastic bag hidden in the vehicle that contained at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. On November 21, 2022, Mosley pleaded guilty to the charge. The DEA and Louisiana State Police investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Leon H. Whitten.

Adrian Dion Coleman, 24, of Monroe, Louisiana, received a 36-month (3 years) prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman pleaded guilty on October 31, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. These accusations arose from a traffic stop made by authorities with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office on January 18, 2021, in which Coleman was a passenger. A search of the vehicle turned up a Taurus 9mm pistol on the seat where Coleman was sitting. Coleman also had 12 individual transparent packages of marijuana on him, totaling 48 grams. Coleman admitted ownership of the drugs and firearm. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) tested the firearm and confirmed that it was functioning and had gone through interstate commerce. The ATF and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Weber.

“The sentences handed down in each of these cases are the result of outstanding work and coordination between our federal and local law enforcement agencies in the Monroe area,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “We will continue working together with these law enforcement agencies to make the streets of Monroe safer.”