Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Felon Sentenced to 65 Months for Federal Gun Charge
NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHAWN RABATHALY, age 23, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on February 28, 2023 to a violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
The single count indictment charged RABATHALY with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Court documents reveal that RABATHALY was under surveillance by investigators, who saw him place an Anderson Model AM-15, 5.56 caliber assault rifle into a vehicle he occupied. RABATHALY is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his criminal history. He was previously convicted of a felony offense in Orleans Parish for illegal possession of a controlled substance.
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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dustin Strauss of the Violent Crimes Unit.