Lake Charles felon sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing sawed-off shotgun, drugs

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Lake Charles man previously convicted of a felony was sentenced Monday to 120 months in prison for possessing a sawed-off shotgun in addition to other firearms and trafficking drugs.

Mark Washington, 46, of Lake Charles, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of possession of a shotgun with a barrel of less than 18 inches in length and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the June 5, 2018 guilty plea, members of the Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Taskforce responded to a report of drug activity at a home on April 18, 2017 at Hinton Drive in Lake Charles. Upon arriving at the scene, agents found Washington standing in the driveway of the residence near two men who were inside a car. Agents searched the residence and found one Sigarms Model 250 semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing 12 live rounds; one Glock Model 36, .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol containing a magazine with four live rounds; one sawed-off Stevens Model 940E, .410-gauge break-action shotgun; and one sawed-off 20-gauge break-action shotgun of unknown make and model. They also found loose synthetic marijuana on the television stand in the living room, and they located 936 pills, two pink plastic bags of synthetic marijuana, a cigarette pack containing a glass vile with drug residue, a cellophane baggie with five ecstasy pills and $1,145. Washington said he lived at the residence and had bought the guns on the street. Washington also admitted to being a convicted felon, and that he was not allowed to be around firearms. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The ATF and Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Taskforce conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog prosecuted the case.