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Press Release

New Orleans Man Sentenced for Narcotics and Firearm Offenses

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DEJUAN WILLIAMS, age 29, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to 262 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 through 4 of a Superseding Bill of Information.  Judge Lemelle also ordered that WILLIAMS be placed on supervised release for three (3) years following release from imprisonment, and to pay a mandatory $400 special assessment fee.

Count 1 charged WILLIAMS with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).  Count 2 charged WILLIAMS with possession with the intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).  Count 3 charged WILLIAMS with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).  Count 4 charged WILLIAMS with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

According to court records, on November 22, 2020, WILLIAMS was seated in the front passenger seat of a vehicle being driven by his wife in  New Orleans.  While in the vehicle, WILLIAMS was in knowing possession of  a Glock Model 23, 40 caliber pistol.  At some point,  a gray sedan drove behind their vehicle and opened fire.  WILLIAMS exited their vehicle and fled while still in possession of  the pistol.  Eventually, WILLIAMS reached Elysian Fields Avenue and attempted to hide the pistol underneath some greenery but members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) recovered the pistol later that day.

On January 27, 2020, a NOPD detective attempted to locate and arrest WILLIAMS for his possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as described above.  The NOPD detective eventually located WILLIAMS and, while attempting to arrest him, a struggle ensued.  During the struggle and subsequent arrest, the detective saw a firearm sling on WILLIAMS’s person.  Inside the sling was a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, with a live round in the chamber,  seven (7) bullets in the attached magazine, a bag of heroin, two bags of crack cocaine, and $458.00 of U.S. currency.  WILLIAMS later admitted that the firearm was in the sling, that he possessed both the sling and firearm, that he had cocaine and heroin on his person, that he possessed both the heroin and cocaine, with the intent to distribute them in future drug sales, and that the $458 came from selling heroin and cocaine.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Louisiana State Police.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit.

Contact

Shane Jones 

Community Outreach Coordinator 

U.S. Attorney's Office 

Eastern District of Louisiana

Updated February 2, 2024

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses