DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Louisiana

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Stephanie A. Finley
, United States Attorney
Contact: Henri LeJeune

Shreveport Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charges

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty Monday to possessing firearms and ammunition after being convicted of multiple felonies.

Donzell Joseph Samuels Jr., 35, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter to one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Samuels was on probation when law enforcement received information that he had a firearm at his residence. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office contacted Samuels at his house and found him in possession of a .380 caliber pistol, a .357 caliber revolver, two 9 mm pistols, and a 16 gauge shotgun. They also found ammunition with each firearm in addition to 16 rounds of 9 mm ammunition in an extended magazine and 33 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition.

Samuels has three prior felony convictions in the First Judicial District Court for Caddo Parish. In 2008 he was convicted of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, cocaine, and was sentenced to three and a half years at hard labor. In 2001 he was convicted of accessory after the fact – manslaughter and criminal conspiracy to commit a simple burglary and was sentenced to four years at hard labor. In 2000 he was convicted of simple burglary and was sentenced to two years at hard labor, suspended with one year of supervised probation.

Samuels faces up to 10 years in prison and one to three years supervised release. He also faces a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of March 19, 2015 was set.

The ATF and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case as part of the
Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which is a Department of Justice initiative designed to prosecute those who are prohibited from possessing firearms and those who use firearms to commit violent crimes.

New Orleans Field Division