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NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BRANDON SMITH, age 27 of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty, on June 6, 2022, as charged to violating the Federal Gun Control Act. The single count indictment was for possession of a firearm while subject to a domestic violence protective order in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(8) and 924(a)(2).

According to court documents, SMITH was issued a domestic violence protective order by a magistrate in Orleans Parish on June 1, 2020. That order restrained him from harassing, stalking, or threating an intimate partner, or engaging in other conduct that would place an intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily injury. It also prohibited him from possessing a firearm. Investigators discovered SMITH possessed a 7.62mm “Draco” firearm and ammunition on December 23, 2020, while the domestic violence order was still in place.

The sentencing in this matter is set for October 12, 2022. SMITH faces a maximum of ten  (10) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, a maximum of three (3) years supervised release, and a mandatory $100 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 works 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 New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.