Louisiana Felon Sentenced for East Texas Firearms Violation

TYLER, Texas – A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, man has been sentenced for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Marland Gibson, 53, was found guilty at trial on April 27, 2022, of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on Oct. 12, 2022, by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker.

According to information presented in court, on March 20, 2021, Gibson was stopped for speeding on Interstate-20 in Gregg County.  During the traffic stop, it was determined Gibson had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in Marion County, Indiana on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.  Gibson was arrested on the warrant and a search of the vehicle revealed not only a handgun hidden in a compartment behind the vehicle’s dashboard, but a suitcase in the rear of the vehicle containing another firearm and multiple rounds of assorted ammunition.

Further investigation revealed Gibson is a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.  Gibson was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 17, 2021. 

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.

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