West Monroe felon pleads guilty to illegally possessing a pistol, ammunition

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Devin Dewayne Williams, 27, of West Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to the guilty plea, during a traffic stop on Williams’ vehicle on September 24, 2017, a West Monroe Police officer found a handgun magazine in Williams’ front pocket and a Beretta, Model 21A, .25-caliber pistol under the driver’s seat.  Williams is a felon who was convicted in Ouachita Parish on March 8, 2013 of simple kidnapping and on November 12, 2015 of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.  Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition.

Williams faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  Doughty set the sentencing date for August 7, 2019.

The ATF and West Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford 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, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.