Louisiana Felon Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Firearms Laws

New Orleans, Louisiana – On January 12, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced Bryce Jones, age 23, of New Orleans, Louisiana to 42 months (3 years, 6 months) in the Bureau of Prisons on January 11, 2023, for violating the Federal Gun Control Act.

According to court filings, Jones was arrested in October 2021 near the intersection of Bienville and Crozat streets in New Orleans, along with three co-defendants who were all convicted felons in possession of firearms. Jones was carrying a Rossi revolver, which he kept in his waistband. Records checks found that Jones had only recently been convicted of many felony charges in Livingston Parish. He was accused of having a firearm while a felon.

Jones was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after his release from jail, according to Judge Africk. Jones was also forced to pay a $100 obligatory special assessment fee.

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 New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller is in charge of the prosecution.