Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Firearm After Previously Being Convicted of a Felony

New Orleans, Louisiana – Elijah Powell, 27, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty as charged before United States District Judge Wendy Vitter on January 17, 2023, to a one-count indictment alleging that he illegally possessed a firearm after being convicted of a felony, according to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

Powell was seen on the city’s Real Time Crime Cameras with what appeared to be a pistol in his pocket, according to court records. Powell fled when New Orleans police officers arrived to investigate. After a brief chase, he was apprehended, but he no longer had the pistol. Officers tracked Powell’s flight path and discovered the pistol in the side yard of a house along his flight path. Powell had previously been convicted in St. Charles Parish of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Powell’s sentencing date is set for April 18, 2023. He faces up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release after any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

The New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana Probation and Parole, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all looked into the case. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller is in charge of the prosecution.