New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Controlled Substances and Federal Gun Control Acts

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NATHANIEL WILLIAMS, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty as charged to a three-count indictment on October 3, 2023 before U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry.  Specifically, WILLIAMS pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8) (Count 1); possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C) (Count 2); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A) (Count 3). 

According to court documents, on March 29, 2023, WILLIAMS was conducting hand-to-hand drug sales near the Valero gas station on South Claiborne Avenue.  When marked NOPD vehicles arrived at the gas station, WILLIAMS fled across South Claiborne and threw a loaded gun in the neutral ground.  WILLIAMS then hid underneath a house nearby and discarded 66 baggies of cocaine before being apprehended by NOPD.

As to Count 1, WILLIAMS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.  As to Count 2, he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least 3 years of supervised release. As to Count 3, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to the sentences imposed on the other counts, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.  WILLIAMS must also pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.