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NEW ORLEANS– U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Charles Edward Banks (“Banks”), age 38, of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced to imprisonment on May 4, 2021 by U.S. District Court Judge Wendy B. Vitter for charges relating to possession of a firearm.

Banks pled guilty on November 12, 2019, to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

According to court documents, on March 17, 2018, NOPD officers obtained a search warrant for Banks’s vehicle and found a silver and black 9mm Ruger pistol. A criminal inquiry revealed that Banks had a least one prior conviction that carried a penalty of at least one year in prison. Banks indicated that at the time he possessed the firearm, he knew he had been convicted of a felony.

Judge Wendy B. Vitter sentenced Banks to twelve (12) months and one (1) day in the Bureau of Prisons, followed by 2 years of supervised release. Banks also must pay a $100 special assessment fee.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The prosecution of the case was conducted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh.