Louisiana Man Faces Up to 10 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Firearms Charges

Louisiana – On July 8, 2022, United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Brandon Smith, age 27 of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty, on June 6, 2022, as charged to violating the Federal Gun Control Act. The single count indictment was for possession of a firearm while subject to a domestic violence protective order in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(8) and 924(a)(2).

On June 1, 2020, a magistrate in Orleans Parish issued Smith a domestic violence protective order, according to court documents. That order barred him from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner, as well as engaging in any other behavior that would put an intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily harm. It also barred him from owning a firearm. On December 23, 2020, while the domestic violence order was still in effect, investigators discovered Smith in possession of a 7.62mm “Draco” firearm and ammunition.

The sentencing date in this case has been set for October 12, 2022. Smith faces up to ten years in prison, a $250,000.00 fine, three years supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, which is at the heart of the Department of Justice’s efforts to reduce violent crime. PSN is an evidence-based program that has been shown to reduce violent crime. PSN brings together a diverse range of stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime issues in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and collaborates with community-based prevention and reentry programs to achieve long-term crime reductions.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their work in investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney Charles D. Strauss is in charge of the prosecution.