Slidell Man Sentenced for Violations of the Federal Gun Control Act

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RODERICK WILLIAMS, age 27, of Slidell, was sentenced on January 31, 2024 by the Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to sixty (60) months imprisonment to be followed by three (3) years of supervised release and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to two counts of an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).

According to court documents, on April 9, 2023, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers stopped a vehicle being driven by WILLIAMS. Thereafter, officers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and located a Glock Model 19, 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun in the trunk. This handgun was loaded, with one bullet in the chamber and carried an extended, twenty-five (25) round magazine.

On April 28, 2023, investigators conducted video surveillance of the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Werner Drive. Officers noted an unknown black male hold a firearm as he entered a convenience store. NOPD officers were notified, entered the store and as they approached WILLIAMS, he attempted to conceal the firearm in his waistband. After noticing  the outline of a firearm in WILLIAMS’s waistband, officers searched him and seized a Glock Model 26, 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun.

WILLIAMS had previously been convicted of felonies that prohibited him from possessing firearms.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Rayburn of the Violent Crimes Unit.