Bogalusa Man Sentenced to 144 Months in Prison for Federal Drug and Firearm Violations

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JEROME WILSON (“WILSON”), age 29, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on June 11, 2024 to 144 months in prison for drug and firearm violations, followed by five years of supervised release, and a mandatory $400 special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion, to a four-count superseding indictment. 

Count 1 charged WILSON with conspiring to distribute Fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(b)(1)(C) and 846.  Count 2 charged WILSON with conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).  Count 3 charged WILSON with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).  Finally, Count 4 charged WILSON with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

According to court documents, on December 6, 2022, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) agents surveilling the 1900 block of Frenchmen Street in New Orleans saw WILSON driving a white Dodge Challenger with one passenger.  Agents then saw   WILSON, his  passenger, and a third co-defendant apparently engaged in  illegal narcotics transactions, all while possessing  firearms.  Soon after, WILSON took a firearm from the car and put it atop the right rear tire to allow easy access while selling drugs.  WILSON was later arrested after a brief pursuit.  Subsequently, officers obtained a state search warrant for the white Dodge Challenger and recovered a Sarsilmaz, Model Sar9, 9-millimeter pistol, from the center console.  A criminal history check revealed that WILSON had two prior felony convictions and was not legally allowed to possess a firearm.