New Orleans, Louisiana – A Tennessee man pleaded guilty in a federal court in Louisiana to possessing a machinegun on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.
On September 6, 2023, 24-year-old Keaton Manghane from Chattanooga, Tennessee, admitted his guilt before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance for owning a machine gun. Manghane was in possession of a machinegun in violation of United States Code, Title 18, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).
Based on legal records, Manghane was found walking on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana with a loaded handgun in his pocket, fitted with a Glock auto-sear, shortly after 2:00 a.m. on February 21, 2023, which was Mardi Gras Day. The auto-sear instrument transformed the semi-automatic weapon into an automatic machine gun.
Post Manghane’s arrest, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted a function test on the firearm and verified that it operated as a machine gun.
Manghane could potentially be sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine that could reach as much as $250,000, three years of supervised probation and a compulsory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This incident is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which unites all tiers of law enforcement and the communities they serve in order to decrease violent and gun-related crimes, thus making our neighborhoods safer for all residents. On May 26, 2021, the Department initiated a strategy to further reduce violent crime by strengthening the effectiveness of PSN. This strategy is based on several key principles: building trust and legitimacy within our communities, backing community-based organizations dedicated to preventing violence from the outset, establishing concentrated and strategic law enforcement priorities, and evaluating the outcomes.
The New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation into this case. It is now under prosecution by David Berman, an Assistant U.S. Attorney from the Violent Crimes Unit.