Shreveport man sentenced to 71 months in prison for possessing firearms after being convicted of felonies

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport man was sentenced to 71 months in prison for possessing three firearms and ammunition after being convicted of multiple felonies.

Jonathan Shane Roberts, 41, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the August 28, 2015 guilty plea, Roberts swapped an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for a 9 mm pistol, a .308 caliber rifle, a .223 caliber rifle and more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition on November 19, 2014.  Roberts later filed a police report claiming the ATV was stolen. After further investigation, a Shreveport Police Department detective found that Roberts had at least three felony convictions before obtaining the firearms.  Roberts was convicted in March of 1993 of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, in December of 2001 of simple robbery, and in August of 2007 of felony theft of more than $500.  All convictions were in the First Judicial District Court in Caddo Parish.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce firearm crimes by removing dangerous and persistent felons from the community and to promote firearm safety.

The Shreveport office of the ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. prosecuted the case.