Montgomery Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

           Montgomery, Alabama – On October 4, 2023, a federal judge sentenced 42-year-old Southern Lausane, III, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama, to 120 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole.

           According to his plea agreement and other court records, on June 15, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lausane’s residence in Montgomery. Inside the residence, officers found a handgun and shotgun. Lausane has a previous felony conviction and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. On June 7, 2023, Lausane pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in federal court.

           This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

           The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Montgomery Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service investigated this case, with Assistant United States Attorney Eric M. Counts prosecuting.