Convicted Felon Sentenced Federally for Firearm Violation

NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERNEST DUNN, age 32 of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on November 10, 2022 for a violation the Federal Gun Control Act. He was convicted of a single count indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

According to court documents, DUNN was in the driver seat of a parked car in an area that had recently been the location of a drive by shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was conducting surveillance and observed suspicious activity of individuals near the car. When agents approached, they asked DUNN to exit the car and observed two semi-automatic handguns at his feet.  DUNN was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior convictions for armed robbery and purse snatching in Orleans Parish.

DUNN was sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.