HAMMOND MAN INDICTED FOR ASSAULT ON FEDERAL OFFICER, GUN VIOLATION AND FAILURE TO REGISTER AS SEX OFFENDER
ANTHONY D. KNIGHT, age 34, a resident of Hammond, Louisiana, was charged in a three-count indictment by a Federal Grand Jury for assaulting a federal officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and failure to register as a sex offender, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to indictment, on March 9, 2010, KNIGHT was found to be in possession of a Taurus Model PT-111 Millennium, 9mm pistol. On the same date, KNIGHT used the said Taurus 9mm pistol to assault a Deputy U. S. Marshal in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The indictment also alleges that KNIGHT was previously convicted on September 19, 1996 for Sexual Abuse First Degree, a felony, in the Mobile, Alabama. As such, KNIGHT was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm. According to the indictment, despite being a convicted sex offender, KNIGHT travelled in interstate commerce and failed to register as a sex offender as per the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
If convicted of count one, the assault charge, KNIGHT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of $250,000 and up to three (3) years of supervised release. As to the gun charge, KNIGHT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000 and up to three (3) years of supervised release. Regarding the failure to register charge, KNIGHT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000 and up to three (3) years of supervised release.
U. S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals, the Hammond Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Edward J. Rivera and Brian M. Klebba.
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