Shreveport man pleads guilty to lying on a federal firearms form

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that Joseph Shaquille Brown, 25, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter for making a false statement on a federal firearms transaction record, known as an ATF Form 4473.

According to the guilty plea, Brown completed an ATF Form 4473 at a Shreveport business on November 17, 2017.  On the form, Brown indicated he was not subject to a court authorized restraining order.  However, he was subject to two such restraining orders that were issued following his arrest on October 4, 2017 for telephone harassment and stalking his ex-wife.  The Caddo Parish District Court issued a restraining order on October 9, 2017, and the Caddo parish Juvenile Court issued another restraining order on October 27, 2017.

Brown faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  Judge Donald Walter set Brown’s sentencing date for July 2, 2019.

The ATF conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan is prosecuting the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Project Safe Neighborhoods 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, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.