New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Gun Control Act

DOJ Press

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANASTEPHONE BRIDGES, age 32, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on March 31, 2022 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a one-count indictment charging him with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, on August 15, 2021, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force Officer conducted surveillance in the area of the 2200 block of North Galvez Street in New Orleans. The detective observed the handle of a firearm in BRIDGES’s front waistband as BRIDGES exited the steps and began to loiter on the sidewalk. The detective summoned marked units to the scene, and BRIDGES made sure his shirt was covering the object in his waistband before sitting down on the steps of the residence. Officers arrived in the area and approached BRIDGES. A Glock Model 49x, nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, bearing serial number BMDZ792 was removed from BRIDGES’s front waistband. The firearm was equipped with a red transparent magazine. The magazine contained 18 live rounds and one live round in the chamber of the firearm. BRIDGES was also in possession of Ecstasy and approximately three grams of crack cocaine. Prior to this, BRIDGES knew he had been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

BRIDGES faces a maximum term of (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.


The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne is in charge of the prosecution.


 

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