Man Pleads Guilty to the Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted Felon
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 05, 2012 |
NEW ORLEANS—Ernest Blackmon, age 25, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to a one-count charge for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before United States Judge Helen G. Berrigan, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to court documents, the New Orleans Police Department stopped a vehicle which Blackmon was driving for a routine traffic violation on December 3, 2011, in New Orleans. During the police encounter, Blackmon was found to be in possession of a Smith & Wesson, model SW40VE, .40 caliber pistol.
Court records revealed that Blackmon was convicted on or about August 18, 2008, for the possession of crack cocaine in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, a felony punishable by more than one year of incarceration. As such, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm by both state and federal law.
Blackmon faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled on March 13, 2013.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera.