A New Orleans man, identified as Ronald Taylor, age 31, has been sentenced to 82 months in prison following a guilty plea for a federal weapons charge, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Taylor received his sentence on October 1, and it includes 3 years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.
Taylor was apprehended on August 31, 2023, when the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office pulled over a vehicle that had been reported stolen during a carjacking incident two days prior in Harris County, Texas. According to details from the press release on the Justice Department's website, the "Flock System" was instrumental in identifying the stolen vehicle. Riding with his fiancé and three-year-old daughter, Taylor was found in possession of three loaded firearms with ammunition during a vehicle inventory performed by the deputies.
Despite prior convictions including one for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Taylor admitted to the ownership of all three firearms, effectively violating Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). His status as a prohibited person did not deter Taylor from knowingly possessing the weapons.
This case forms part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that unites various levels of law enforcement and communities to work towards the reduction of violent crime and gun violence. With a strategy established on May 26, 2021, PSN aims to foster trust within communities and support organizations in preventing violence, amongst other focused objectives. The program operates with the belief that establishing a more substantial presence of law enforcement and setting strategic enforcement priorities, can help make neighborhoods safer for all, according to the same press release.
Investigation of the case was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Calogero from the General Crimes Unit handled the prosecution. For those seeking further details on the case, Public Information Officer Shane M. Jones of the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, is available as a contact point.
