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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MICHAEL MALONE, age 38, a resident of Covington, Louisiana, was sentenced on January 10, 2023 in the United States District Court in connection with his plea of guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

United States District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry sentenced MALONE to 82 months of imprisonment in the Bureau of Prisons. Following his term of imprisonment, MALONE will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years. The court did not impose a fine, but imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

On the night of February 3, 2022, at approximately 11:30 p.m., St. Tammany Parish deputies were on patrol on Highway 434 in Lacombe when they observed MALONE’s silver Toyota Highlander, parked in front of the 434 Mini Storage. Deputies observed an individual inside of the vehicle.  Concerned that a burglary could have been in progress, the deputies approached MALONE’s vehicle.

Upon approaching the vehicle, deputies spoke with MALONE’s girlfriend, who told the deputies that MALONE was inside of his storage unit.  The deputies observed that a number of miscellaneous items were located outside of the unit, but that the unit’s door was closed. MALONE was not visible to the deputies. As the deputies continued to approach the unit, they heard the sound of a gun being racked.  Upon opening the door to the storage unit, the deputies observed MALONE in possession of a firearm.  Deputies located 33 firearms inside of the unit. Deputies detained MALONE. It was determined that MALONE was on probation at the time of his arrest and being a convicted felon with two convictions for possession of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (ecstasy), simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, and two counts of simple burglary.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.