Louisiana Felon Sentenced to More Than 8 Years After Being Found in Possession of Firearms and Drugs

Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, that Tijon Richards, a/k/a “Tay,” age 31, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana for his conduct related to violations of the Federal Gun Control Act. Richards pled guilty to Counts Two and Three of the indictment, charging him, respectively with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c)(1)(A) and 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

In Counts Two and Three, United States District Court Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced Richards to 46 (3 years, 10 months) and 60 months (5 years), respectively. Count Three will be served immediately after Count Two. Richards will be placed on supervised release for 5 years after his release. Richards must also pay a $200.00 special assessment fee.

Richards eluded a Louisiana State Police (“LSP”) officer on Interstate 10 in Metairie, Louisiana, on September 16, 2020, during a traffic stop. LSP discovered a loaded FN Herstal, a 5.7×28 mm weapon, and 2 grams of cocaine base under the driver’s seat, where Richards was seated, during a search of his vehicle. Richards managed to flee but was apprehended in January 2021. Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives saw a deformed air conditioning vent inside Richards’ New Orleans home while seeking to apprehend him. When the vent was removed, a high-capacity rifle magazine dropped to the floor. Inside the unit, agents discovered two guns.

During the execution of a search warrant at the property, agents discovered four additional firearms and ammo. Richards, a convicted felon, is not permitted to own firearms or ammunition.

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 as well as the Louisiana State Police investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit is prosecuting the case.