Louisiana Man Previously Convicted of Domestic Abuse Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm

Louisiana – Michael O. Falcone, 41, of McComb, Mississippi, was sentenced on October 6, 2022, for illegal possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced Falcone to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to evidence given in court, on September 29, 2021, law enforcement officers from the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office performed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Falcone. Deputies spotted Falcone with a knife visible on his person and many other weapons visible in the vehicle and began a pat down check of Falcone. The deputy discovered a fully loaded handgun magazine in Falcone’s outer front pocket. Law enforcement secured a search warrant in order to search Falcone’s vehicle.

Deputies discovered a fully loaded Sig Sauer P365 handgun in the glove box, as well as a J.C. Higgins revolver under the driver’s seat. Falcone previously pled guilty to domestic abuse battery in 2012 and was barred from owning a firearm or ammunition.

Falcone was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in April 2022 and pled guilty on July 7, 2022.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. McCoy.

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.