Louisiana Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges After Being Caught with a Weapon After a Police Chase

New Orleans, Louisiana– On Friday, January 13, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Marvin Young, of New Orleans, Louisiana pleaded guilty as charged on January 5, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm before the Honorable Eldon E. Fallon.

According to public records, on July 8, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and numerous state agencies collaborated on a combined operation to use proactive police patrol in New Orleans neighborhoods with a history of documented violent crime. Young was seen removing his shirt during the operation, displaying a handgun hidden behind his belt.

New Orleans Police Department officers then positioned themselves behind Young's vehicle and attempted to execute a traffic stop. Young refused to pull over and instead accelerated his vehicle to flee. A U.S. Border and Customs helicopter pursued Young, ultimately stopping the vehicle, exiting, and attempting to hide.

A canine was brought to the site, and officers retraced Young's escape route from his vehicle. Officers located the weapon Young was seen with before fleeing from police in the vegetation of the unoccupied property.

Young was prohibited from possessing the firearm because he had previously been convicted of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.

Young risks a potential term of ten years in jail, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and an obligatory $100 special assessment charge.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department investigated this case. The prosecution was conducted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel.