New Orleans Man Guilty of Violating Federal Gun Control Act

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENNETH JACKSON (“JACKSON”), age 33, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on August 20, 2025, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

According to court records, in March 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted aerial surveillance at an apartment complex in New Orleans East and observed a Toyota Camry with damage to the rear bumper parked behind the complex. The aerial surveillance was being conducted as part of an investigation into a murder that had occurred the previous day, and agents believed the Camry to be the same one used in the murder. FBI agents who were watching the apartment complex saw the Camry begin to circle around the side of the complex to leave. An agent blocked the Camry’s exit with his vehicle, which caused the occupants, JACKSON and another male, to abandon the Camry and flee on foot. Both were apprehended by law enforcement shortly after exiting the vehicle. JACKSON had a .45 caliber pistol on his person. JACKSON is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms. JACKSON was charged, in a multi-defendant indictment, with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Judge Milazzo set sentencing for January 30, 2026. JACKSON faces a maximum term of fifteen years imprisonment, up to three years supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, 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.

Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted out of the Violent Crime Unit by Assistant United States Attorneys Liz Privitera and Sarah Dawkins.