DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Thursday, August 4, 2022
Honorable Brandon Bonaparte Brown
, United States Attorney

Lake Charles Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that James J. Julian, 37, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced today by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. for illegal possession of a firearm.  Julian was sentenced to 84 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Julian was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and pleaded guilty to the charge on May 3, 2022. The charge stems from an incident that occurred on March 3, 2020 when Julian got into an altercation with a female at her residence in Lake Charles. During their argument, Julian produced a silver revolver and pointed it at the female. There were children present who witnessed the incident and one child intervened until Julian left the residence on foot with the firearm. Law enforcement officers were called to the residence, and they searched for Julian. Behind the victim’s residence was an abandoned dwelling and officers located a silver High Standard .22 caliber revolver pistol and the victim was able to identify the firearm as being the one that Julian had pointed at her. Julian admitted to law enforcement officers that he had the firearm in his possession. He has a prior felony conviction for distribution of cocaine in 2014 and knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.

The case was investigated by the ATF and Lake Charles Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

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New Orleans Field Division