Lafayette felon sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for possessing two firearms

LAFAYETTE, La. – Kenyatta Edmond, 39, of Lafayette, was sentenced on Monday to 110 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph announced.  The defendant was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. 

According to the guilty plea, a concerned citizen contacted the Lafayette police on January 22, 2018 to report an unconscious man behind the wheel of a car at the intersection of Evangeline Thruway and Mudd Avenue.  An officer approached the vehicle and saw Edmond slumped forward appearing to be asleep, and noticed a pistol in Edmond’s lap with his hand around the grip.  When questioned, Edmond told the officer that he had a second firearm in the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed a Beretta Model PX4 Storm .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Taurus Model Judge .410 gauge revolver.  After further investigation, it was discovered that the revolver had been previously reported stolen and that Edmond has four prior felony convictions.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is 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.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) top enforcement and regulatory priority is to prevent and reduce violent crime involving firearms.  The ATF carefully focuses its resources to ensure that their operations have the greatest impact on reducing firearms violence.  The ATF works closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to collect evidence necessary to convict violent offenders that terrorize our communities and those who illegally supply them with guns.

The ATF Lafayette Field Office and the Lafayette Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog prosecuted the case.