District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office on Friday, January 26, 2018, won the conviction of a Lower 9th Ward man for illegally possessing a stolen gun while on federal parole as a felony offender.

Ernest Blackmon, 30, averted his trial scheduled for February 5, 2018 by pleading guilty Friday to illegal possession of a firearm by a felon and illegal possession of a stolen firearm. As part of a plea agreement, the state did not ask that Blackmon be sentenced as a multiple offender, sparing him a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

Criminal District Judge Byron C. Williams sentenced Blackmon to 17 years—without the benefit of parole or probation—for the felon in possession of a firearm conviction. Blackmon received a five-year sentence for possession of a stolen gun, which Williams ordered to be served concurrently with the first sentence.

“It is troubling when a young man already given a second or third chance to become a contributing member of society instead opts for a different path,” Cannizzaro said. “Federal and state laws prohibiting convicted felons from possessing firearms exist to keep our community safer, and to reduce the temptation toward recidivism by those who otherwise would become so-called career criminals.”

Blackmon already was on parole after a federal conviction for the unlawful transport of firearms when authorities lawfully searched his residence in the 1600 block of Lizardi Street on May 11, 2016. During the search, agents discovered a stolen gun hidden inside a dresser drawer with other personal possessions belonging to Blackmon. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed that Blackmon had handled the stashed weapon. With his plea on Friday, Blackmon acknowledged the gun was his.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Napoli prosecuted the case. The investigation involved personnel from the FBI New Orleans Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, the Louisiana State Police, the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana Department of Probation and Parole.