Project Safe Neighborhoods Cases Result in Federal Prison Sentences for Two Men

LAKE CHARLES, La. –  Two men were sentenced today for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the following defendants:

Gregory Dewayne McCummings, 34, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, with credit for time served.  According to information introduced in court, McCummings was involved in a traffic stop with deputies from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. During the encounter, McCummings was searched, and deputies found a clear plastic baggie in his pants pocket. He admitted that the baggie was used to store marijuana and previously did contain marijuana. Inside his vehicle, deputies found a backpack with a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber firearm, a large plastic baggie containing multiple smaller plastic baggies with suspected marijuana, a clear plastic bottle containing a liquid believed to be PCP, and a clear plastic bottle containing suspected ecstasy pills. McCummings has a prior felony conviction and knew he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. He pleaded guilty to the charge on May 31, 2023.

Melvin Blake, Jr., 30, of Lake Charles. Blake was sentenced to 21 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, with credit for time served. On November 2, 2021, detectives with Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office executed a permitted search of a residence on Ellis Street in Lake Charles, wherein Blake was present. Deputies recovered a Smith & Wesson, Model 910, 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the bedroom. Blake admitted that the firearm belonged to him and that he had purchased it from someone for $150. He has a prior felony conviction and knew he was prohibited from possessing the firearm. Blake pleaded guilty to the charge on May 31, 2023.

These two cases were investigated by ATF and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. McCoy.

These cases are 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. PSN is 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. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

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