35-Year-Old Louisiana Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges After Arrest During Traffic Stop for Another Crime

New Orleans, Louisiana - A 35-year-old Louisiana felon has pleaded guilty to firearms charges after being arrested during a traffic stop for another crime.

On April 6, 2023, United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Maurice Butler, age 35, of Mandeville, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on April 4, 2023, to a single count indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

Butler was arrested by St. Bernard Sheriff's Office deputies during a traffic stop after they discovered he was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department for armed robbery, according to court filings. Authorities also observed a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter semi-automatic weapon (later determined to be stolen) in plain view on Butler's vehicle's front passenger seat. Subsequent research revealed that Butler had prior criminal convictions that barred him from possessing firearms.

Butler faces up to ten years in prison, a $250,000.00 fine, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any period of imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Butler is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2023.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve together to minimize violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy to strengthen PSN on May 26, 2021, based on the following core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, and the New Orleans Police Department all looked into the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Kennedy of the Violent Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.