Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NEW ORLEANS — Dejuan Williams, 29, of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to 262 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 through 4 of a Superseding Bill of Information. Judge Lemelle also ordered that Williams be placed on supervised release for three years following release from imprisonment, and to pay a mandatory $400 special assessment fee.

Count 1 charged Williams with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Count 2 charged Williams with possession with the intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count 3 charged Williams with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count 4 charged Williams with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

According to court records, on Nov. 22, 2020, Williams was seated in the front passenger seat of a vehicle being driven by his wife in New Orleans. While in the vehicle, Willimas was in knowing possession of a Glock Model 23, 40 caliber pistol. At some point, a gray sedan drove behind their vehicle and opened fire. Williams exited their vehicle and fled while still in possession of the pistol. Eventually, Williams reached Elysian Fields Avenue and attempted to hide the pistol underneath some greenery, but members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) recovered the pistol later that day.

On Jan. 27, 2020, a NOPD detective attempted to locate and arrest Williams for his possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as described above. The NOPD detective eventually located WIilliams and, while attempting to arrest him, a struggle ensued. During the struggle and subsequent arrest, the detective saw a firearm sling on Williams’s person. Inside the sling was a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, with a live round in the chamber, seven bullets in the attached magazine, a bag of heroin, two bags of crack cocaine and $458.00 of U.S. currency. Williams later admitted that the firearm was in the sling, that he possessed both the sling and firearm, that he had cocaine and heroin on his person, that he possessed both the heroin and cocaine, with the intent to distribute them in future drug sales and that the $458 came from selling heroin and cocaine.

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 of Justice 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 (ATF) and the Louisiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit.

###