Louisiana Felon Sentenced to 19 Years for Gun, Drug, and Possession of Contraband in Prison Charges

Louisiana - United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Ashton Matta, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 228 months (19 years) in federal prison following his convictions for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of contraband in prison.

The Court also sentenced Matta to four years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered that the firearm in question be forfeited.

According to confessions made as part of his guilty plea, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office and Louisiana Probation and Parole searched Matta's home and vehicle on June 19, 2019. 130.4 grams of fentanyl and $34,650 in cash were discovered inside the house. The vehicle contained 459 grams of heroin, 2.83 grams of fentanyl, a Zastava Serbia 7.62 caliber pistol, and a drum magazine containing 70 live rounds of 7.62 ammo. Matta admitting to having the things and to being involved in the selling and acquisition of illegal drugs. Matta had previously been convicted of attempted oxycodone possession in East Baton Rouge Parish in 2018.

On June 11, 2021, while Matta was being incarcerated at the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center ("WBRDC"), WBRDC authorities performed a search. Each inmate was escorted down the hall and passed through a walk-in metal detector. When Matta walked through the metal detector, it raised an alarm. Matta was caught in possession of a black cellular phone with the words "Alcatel" written on the back. The black cellular phone was a prohibited item that Matta was not permitted to have at the WBRDC.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, and the United States Marshal's Office investigated these cases, which were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy S. Johnson.