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LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a federal jury seated in Lafayette, Louisiana, has returned a guilty verdict against Morgan Lyons, 42, of Jennings, Louisiana on firearms and drug possession charges.

United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. presided over the trial, which began Monday, February 7, 2022. Lyons was charged in October 2019 in a superseding indictment and was found guilty last night of one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

Testimony at trial this week revealed that on May 5, 2016, law enforcement officers with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Combined Anti-Drug Task Force, the Louisiana State Police and the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, using a cooperating witness, did a controlled delivery of marijuana to a residence in which Morgan Lyons resided. Shortly after the controlled delivery, officers executed a search warrant of the residence and located approximately 43 ounces of cocaine, a ledger book, 4 digital scales, $36,020, an AR-15 assault rifle, a Ruger 9mm firearm, and a large box of assorted ammunition, as well as numerous documents in the name of Morgan Lyons.

Lyons has a prior felony conviction for possession of cocaine, and a prior conviction for possession of over 400 grams of cocaine, as well as multiple violent felony arrests. For these federal convictions, he faces a sentence of not less than 5 years nor more than 40 years in prison on the drug possession charge, up to 10 years in prison on each firearms charge, not less than 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5,000,000. In addition, Lyons will forfeit the $36,020 which was seized.

Sentencing has been scheduled for June 23, 2022.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Luke Walker and Craig R. Bordelon.