Joseph C. Delay Pleads Guilty To Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

JOSEPH C. DELAY, 42, of Metairie, Louisiana, pled guilty today before U. S. District Court Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U. S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.

DELAY was charged in May 2012 in an Indictment with Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. DELAY will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo on April 18, 2013.

Documents filed in federal court indicate that on March 9, 2012, at 2:51 a.m., a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy pulled over the defendant for operating a motor vehicle without a license plate. The defendant drove away after the deputy exited his vehicle and approached the defendant’s vehicle. A high-speed chase ensued and other deputies located the vehicle within minutes. The defendant was no longer in the vehicle, however, a loaded .380 caliber Lorcin semi-automatic pistol was left on the driver’s side floorboard. In addition, the defendant left his cellular telephone directly outside of the vehicle.

Court records show that in1995, DELAY was convicted in Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans of Forcible Rape, Armed Robbery, and Aggravated Burglary. In addition, DELAY was convicted in 2004, in the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, and in 2010, in the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson, DELAY was convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

If convicted, DELAY faces a mandatory minimum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment followed by a term of supervised release of three years, and a $250,000.00 fine.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.

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