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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that the defendant RICHARD JONES, age 22, resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 23, 2022 before U.S. District Court Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to a federal weapons violation of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In Count 1 of the indictment, JONES is charged with possessing a firearm on November 21, 2021, as a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).  JONES faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a period of up to 3 years supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.  JONES’s sentencing is scheduled for December 8, 2022.

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.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case  is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.