ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that a Lafayette man was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for possessing a stolen pistol he had purchased on the street.
Paul Sidney Breaux, 37, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of possession of a stolen firearm. According to the Aug. 2, 2018 guilty plea, Lafayette police arrested Breaux on May 1, 2018. At the time of his arrest, he possessed a Springfield Armory Model 1911 pistol and was aware it was stolen. He told officers he had purchased the firearm five days earlier on the street from some younger males. Breaux is also a felon who has been convicted of aggravated battery, possession of cocaine and aggravated robbery.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
The ATF and the Lafayette Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
