New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of Firearm

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –NOLAN LONG (“LONG”), age 33, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Darryl J. Papillion to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2023, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) detectives observed a group of individuals, including LONG, exhibiting signs that they were carrying concealed firearms.  When marked NOPD units arrived in the area to investigate, LONG fled on foot and discarded a loaded Walther P22, .22 caliber pistol before being apprehended.  LONG is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his previous  felony convictions for simple robbery and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

LONG faces up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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.

The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.