NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on December 8, 2022 REGIS GRIMES, age 34, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty to a one-count indictment, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).

GRIMES faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to 3 years, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

According to court records, the New Orleans Police Department arrested GRIMES after receiving a call from a concerned citizen who observed an unknown male, later identified as Grimes, sitting on the steps of a church selling drugs.  Responding officers observed GRIMES sitting on the steps.  After instructing GRIMES to leave, the officers observed GRIMES in possession of a pistol that was concealed in the waistband of his pants.  GRIMES is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.  Additionally, during a search incident to his arrest, the officers located individually wrapped plastic bags containing oxycodone, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and multiple denominations of U.S. currency in GRIMES’s pants.

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 New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.