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NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced BRADLEY BRIGHT, 32, of New Orleans, Louisiana, today to ten (10) years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

In February 2020, BRIGHT was indicted for various counts of distribution of heroin and cocaine base, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Court documents show that as part of his plea, BRIGHT admitted that he was distributing crack cocaine near a store on Basin Street outside the French Quarter.  New Orleans Police Department Officers observed the sale and stopped the buyer, who had a crack pipe in her pocket and crack in her purse.  After confirming the transaction had in fact been a hand-to-hand drug sale, the officers then moved in to arrest BRIGHT, who attempted to flee.  After a brief chase, the officers subdued BRIGHT and found a .40 caliber handgun that had been reported stolen and that was fully loaded with 15 rounds near where BRIGHT was arrested.

District Judge Zainey sentenced BRIGHT to the statutory maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by three (3) years of supervised release.  BRIGHT was also ordered to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.

U. S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the New Orleans Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.