NEW ORLEANS, LA — 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, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MICHAEL CRAWFORD, age 27, from New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court on one count of Possession of a Firearm After a Felony Conviction, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, CRAWFORD exchanged gunfire with an individual at the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Louisa Street and sustained gunshot wounds. Moments later, law enforcement encountered CRAWFORD in possession of a firearm that matched ballistics to the scene of the shooting. CRAWFORD was prohibited from firearm possession because he had been previously convicted of Possession of Tramadol in 2019.
U.S. District Court Judge Darrel James Papillion sentenced CRAWFORD to serve 86 months in prison, to be followed by three (3) years of supervised release. Judge Papillion also imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
