Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Machine Gun While on Bourbon Street During Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS – Keaton Manghane, 24, a resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance to possessing a machinegun in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, Manghane was carrying a loaded handgun equipped with a Glock auto-sear in his pocket while walking on Bourbon Street just after 2 a.m. on Feb. 21, Mardi Gras. The auto-sear device turned the semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun. After Manghane’s arrest, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tested the firearm and confirmed that it functioned as a machine gun.
Manghane faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
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 New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crimes Unit.
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