Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Lafayette Felon Sentenced to 100 Months in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Handgun and Rifle
ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Shelby Jude Darby, 27, of Lafayette, was sentenced Tuesday to 100 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell for illegally possessing a 9 mm pistol and an AK-47 style rifle. He pleaded guilty on March 27, 2019, to possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
Lafayette Police Department officers pulled over Darby’s vehicle on November 1, 2017, because of illegally dark tint on the vehicle’s windows. Darby stepped out of the vehicle and immediately fled on foot down an alley between a residence and a garage. Officers chased him, placed him under arrest and found an SCCY, Model CPX-2, 9 mm semi-automatic pistol on the ground where Darby had been laying. The officers then returned to Darby’s vehicle where they saw a Romarm/Cugir, Model WASR 10/63 UF, 7.620-caliber semi-automatic rifle, which was located between the driver’s seat and center console along with various illegal narcotics.
Darby is a felon who was previously convicted in February of 2016 for possession of Hydrocodone. According to federal law, a convicted felon is not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.
The ATF and the Lafayette Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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