Two Shreveport Men Sentenced in Federal Court on Firearms Charges

Press Release

SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that two defendants from Shreveport have been sentenced in the Western District of Louisiana.

Carnell L. Briggs, a/k/a “Bankroll” and “Bug,” 23, of Shreveport, was sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote, to spend 49 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release on firearms charges. Briggs, a local rapper, was arrested on September 15, 2020, only months after serving a federal sentence for possession of a stolen firearm in the Western District of Louisiana. Agents of the U.S. Marshal Service Task Force executed an outstanding arrest warrant for illegal use of a weapon on Briggs at his girlfriend’s apartment. The warrant had been issued as a result of Briggs being implicated in a recent shooting in Shreveport. Agents knocked on the door and Briggs answered, holding a 9mm pistol. He was immediately taken into custody. Briggs admitted to agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that he purchased the firearm soon after being released from federal prison and knew he was prohibited from having a firearm in his possession.

Dschwadraa D. Wesley, 26, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to spend 120 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Wesley was charged in a federal indictment with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge on January 5, 2021. The charge stems from an incident which occurred on February 3, 2020, when Shreveport Police Department officers responded to a domestic call at a residence. Law enforcement officers began to search for and located a vehicle in which Wesley was a passenger. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop and a chase ensued. During the lengthy pursuit, officers observed Wesley throw something out of the window into a ditch. Other officers stopped and searched the ditch and recovered a 9mm pistol which had been reported stolen in November 2019. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Wesley was arrested and taken into custody. He admitted to possessing the firearm and knew that it was illegal for him to do so as a person convicted of a felony offense. Wesley’s prior convictions are for possession with intent to distribute narcotics (2013) and attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (2015).

The ATF, U.S. Marshal Service Task Force, and Shreveport Police Department conducted these investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon B. Brown and Tennille Gilreath prosecuted the cases.


These cases are 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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