Lake Charles man pleads guilty to possessing a revolver

LAKE CHARLES, La. – John Casimere, 33, of Lake Charles, pleaded guilty last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph announced. 

According to the guilty plea, Lake Charles police encountered Casimere on May 28, 2018 at a Lake Charles residence after responding to a domestic disturbance involving a firearm.  At the time of this incident, Casimere possessed an RG Industries .22-caliber revolver, and had been previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and was subject to a protection order, which prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Casimere faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set the sentencing date for May 9, 2019.

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 ATF and Lake Charles Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti is prosecuting the case.