Federal Jury Convicts Felon Of Firearm And Drug Charges

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced the conviction of Nathaniel W. Turner, a 33-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Turner was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 29, 2019, and charged with possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

After a three day trial before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson, the jury unanimously convicted Turner of all three charges.  As the evidence at trial demonstrated, on May 22, 2019, deputies with the U.S. Marshal’s Service executed a warrant for the arrest of Turner.  Upon arrival, deputies observed security cameras on the perimeter of the apartment occupied by Turner.  After knocking on Turner’s door, the deputies found him asleep on the couch with a .9mm caliber pistol and a Mossberg International 715T .22 caliber AR-15 style rifle, a quantity of heroin, a digital scale, and other drug paraphernalia within immediate reach.  He was arrested without incident.  As a result of this conviction, Turner faces a maximum sentence of not less than five years and up to life in federal prison, significant fines, restitution, and supervised release.

Prior to possessing the firearm, Turner was convicted of  possession of MDMA on August 4, 2006, second degree battery on January 14, 2011, and indecent behavior with a juvenile on August 29, 2017, all in East Baton Rouge Parish.

U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “This office will not tolerate violent felons like Nathaniel Turner who insist on dealing drugs and illegally possessing firearms. This investigation and conviction is just another excellent example of the collaboration among our prosecutors and the federal and local law enforcement agencies who worked together to bring this defendant to justice.  We will not relent in our commitment to bring violent offenders to justice and make our communities safer.” 

Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Joshua Reich stated, “Due to the cooperation of our local and federal partners, we were able to locate and arrest Nathaniel Turner and recover all weapons and evidence that eventually lead to a successful  federal prosecution in the Middle District of Louisiana.  If not for the help and support of our local and federal partners and the leadership of the Middle Louisiana Fugitive Task Force, this would not have been possible.”

“This individual disregarded both the law and the safety of others,” stated ATF Baton Rouge Field Office Resident Agent in Charge Mary Downie.  “ATF is committed to collaborate with all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners so criminals like this will be held accountable for their actions.”

This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the U.S. Marshal’s Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police Bureau of Identification, and the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert W. Piedrahita and Kashan Pathan.