Louisiana Man Arrested After Arriving at Location as Authorities Were Executing Search Warrant Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges

Published March 24, 2023

Louisiana Man Arrested After Arriving at Location as Authorities Were Executing Search Warrant Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges

New Orleans, Louisiana – A Louisiana man who was arrested after arriving at a location as authorities were executing a search warrant has pleaded guilty to firearms charges.

On March 23, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Dawayne Boutain, age 29, a resident of Violet, Louisiana pleaded guilty on March 22, 2023, before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk to violating the Federal Gun Control Act.

Boutain arrived at a residence in Violet just as St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Authorities were ready to execute a search warrant, according to court filings. Boutain was later discovered in possession of a Ruger magazine containing 10 live rounds. He had previously been convicted of four felonies and was barred from having firearms or ammunition under federal law.

The sentencing date has been scheduled on July 12, 2023, by Judge Africk. Boutain faces up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release after any period of imprisonment. He also faces payment of a $100 obligatory special assessment fee.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to 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 St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.