New Orleans Man Sentenced For Firearm Violations

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARNELL D. LEE (“LEE”), age 26, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 24, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to thirty (30) months incarceration after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).  LEE was also placed on supervised release for three (3) years following release from imprisonment and ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Further, Judge Fallon ordered that his term of imprisonment run consecutive to the prison terms imposed by the 24^th Judicial Court, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

According to court records, on November 24, 2023, New Orleans Police Department Officers patrolling the 300 block of Bourbon Street observed LEE with what appeared to be a handgun concealed in the front waistband of his pants.  When NOPD Officers approached LEE to investigate , LEE fled but was quickly apprehended.  Officers recovered a Smith and Wesson Model SD9VE, nine-millimeter handgun that had fallen from his waistband.  LEE was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm due to his prior felony convictions.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigating this matter.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Irene M. Gonzalez of the General Crime Unit.