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NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that Curtis Emilien, age 26, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on November 4, 2021 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Emilien is facing up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

According to court records, Emilien and another individual were in a conflict which escalated to the use of firearms. Officers responded to a report of gunshots on August 25, 2019 in the Lafitte Housing Development and found multiple spent shell casings. Emilien is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his criminal history.

The Honorable U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan will sentence Emilien for his current offense on Tuesday, February 8. 2022.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems 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 partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Charles D. Strauss is in charge of the prosecution