Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JAKARI BROWN, a/k/a “Jakari Lemar,” age 24, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 4, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry to consecutive terms of 120 months and 40 months, respectively. Also, Judge Guidry imposed 3 years of supervised release and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee after BROWN plead guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, on April 25, 2019, BROWN, a convicted felon, possessed an Iberia Firearm (HiPoint) Model JPC, .40 caliber pistol that he used during a shootout near the corner of Hickory and South Columbia Streets in Bogalusa. BROWN was again found to be in possession of a gun on December 27, 2021, when police discovered a Smith & Wesson Model SW9VE, nine-millimeter pistol under the driver’s seat in the vehicle BROWN was driving.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Benjamin Myers and Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.