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Illegal Possession of Firearms Leads to Time in Federal Prison for Two Louisiana Men

Louisiana – On June 23, 2022, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the sentencing of two defendants for illegally possessing firearms in the Western District of Louisiana.

Brian Damar Paul, 35, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 33 months (2 years, 9 months) in prison followed by three years of supervised release for felon in possession of a firearm. Lake Charles Police Department investigators were dispatched to a residence in Lake Charles on December 31, 2020. Prior to their arrival, investigators learned that Paul was inside the house with a gun and refused to leave. When they arrived, Paul was asked to step outside the house, and when he did, they saw him put a handgun in the trashcan near the front door.

The firearm was seized, and Paul agreed to an interview after being advised of his Miranda rights. Paul claimed that he stole the firearm from a female friend while she was at her house and then brought it to his house. He threw the firearm in the trashcan when he saw the investigators arrive. Paul was convicted of armed robbery in 2008 and was barred from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Lake Charles Police Department investigated this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Danny Siefker.

Miguel Morales-Duran, 33, a citizen of Mexico, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. A federal grand jury indicted Morales-Duran for illegal alien firearm possession. On March 30, 2022, he entered a guilty plea to the charge. On December 25, 2021, officers with the Broussard Police Department responded to a report of shots fired in Broussard, Louisiana. According to the complainant, shots were heard coming from a nearby residence.

Officers spoke with one of the males at the house, who stated that Morales-Duran had fired the shots in the backyard. Morales-Duran was arrested after a Glock, Model 22,.40 caliber handgun was discovered in his home. He admitted to police officers that he fired the handgun and was aware that he was an illegally and unlawfully present alien in the United States.

The ATF and the Broussard Police Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo.

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