United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Alvin Porterie, Jr., age 51, of Port Allen, Louisiana, to 180 months in federal prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Court further sentenced Porterie to three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered that the firearm involved be forfeited.
According to admissions made as a part of his guilty plea, on December 8, 2020, a Louisiana State Police trooper conducted a routine roadside welfare check on an apparently disabled vehicle in the median on Airline Highway, near Siegen Lane, in Baton Rouge. Porterie and another man were attempting to change the rear tire on the passenger side of the vehicle. While at the scene, the trooper learned that the vehicle had previously been reported stolen. Porterie ultimately admitted to being in possession of a firearm, which was recovered from the vehicle, and to being a convicted felon. Prior to possessing the firearm, Porterie had been convicted of aggravated battery, as well as multiple counts of distribution of cocaine, in Plaquemine, Louisiana.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Louisiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caroline B. Gardner.