Two Louisiana Felons Sentenced to More Than 11 Years Combined on Firearms Charges

Louisiana – On June 21, 2022, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that two men from Shreveport, Louisiana, had been sentenced for illegally possessing firearms by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr.

Damontra Vonravious Mandigo, 22, of Shreveport, Louisiana, received an 87-month (7 years, 3 months) prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On March 15, 2021, officers from the Shreveport Police Department were patrolling a neighborhood in Shreveport when they noticed a vehicle parked in the driveway of a vacant house. Officers made contact with the driver, who was later identified as Mandigo. A search of his vehicle was conducted, and officers discovered a Zastava 7.62x39mm pistol.

Officers were aware that Mandigo was a convicted felon who was not permitted to possess firearms or ammunition. He was arrested and later admitted to agents that he owned the firearm. Mandigo’s previous felonies included illegal use of a weapon in 2011 and attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in 2018.

Tramarciea Jovan Ruffins, alias “JJ,” 29, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced to 50 months (4 years, 2 months) in prison and three years of supervised release for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On October 13, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Ruffins, and on February 28, 2022, he pleaded guilty to the charge. On March 11, 2021, officers from the Shreveport Police Department and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) attempted to contact Ruffins and another individual in a vehicle in the Cooper Road area of Shreveport.

When the driver noticed the police, he drove away and fled the scene. The vehicle was pursued by police until it crashed. After the crash, both Ruffins and the driver jumped out and fled on foot. They were discovered by police using a K-9 in an exterior utility closet on Tulsa Street in Shreveport. Ruffins and the driver were detained and read their Miranda rights. Officers searched the area and discovered firearms loaded with ammunition against the side wall of the house where the suspects were hiding. Ruffins admitted to police officers that he was in possession of a Smith and Wesson.45 caliber pistol. Ruffins was previously convicted in 2014 of aggravated battery and felon in possession of a firearm in 2018.

Both of these cases were investigated by the ATF and the Shreveport Police Department, and they were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.