Touissant Sentencing

BATON ROUGE, LA – Acting United States Attorney J. Walter Green announced that JOSEPH T. TOUSSAINT, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, was sentenced today by Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson.

On January 7, 2012, officers responded to a Baton Rouge apartment complex in reference to an armed robbery. After being positively identified, TOUSSAINT was arrested and a search warrant was obtained for his residence. A search of TOUSSAINT’S residence revealed a loaded 12 gauge shotgun in between mattresses in a bedroom.

At sentencing, Judge Jackson concluded that TOUSSAINT used the shotgun in connection with the robbery. Noting TOUSSAINT’S extensive criminal history, including his prior convictions for burglary, illegal use of a weapon, and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, Judge Jackson found TOUSSAINT to be an armed career criminal and sentenced him to 180 months in prison and four years of supervised release.

Acting United States Attorney Walt Green stated, “Violent crimes and firearm related offenses are and will remain a top priority of the United States Attorney’s Office. We congratulate our BRAVE partners for their hard work and their dedication to make this a safer community.”

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar C. Moore stated, “The results in this investigation demonstrate the close coordination of our BRAVE partners in identifying, arresting, and prosecuting violent offenders who commit crimes in the 70805 area of Baton Rouge.”

The investigation of TOUSSAINT was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office as part of the Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) project. The BRAVE project is designed to reduce or eliminate violent crimes by targeting gang-related violence and criminal offenses occurring in, or associated with, the most violent areas within Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Police Department, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Probation and Parole, Louisiana State Police, ATF, FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals, local community partners, researchers from Louisiana State University, the Mayor-President’s Office, the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana have all joined together to support and coordinate the BRAVE initiative. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reginald E. Jones.