LAFAYETTE, La. - United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Jarius T. Carson, 26, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Robert R. Summerhays for illegally possessing a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Carson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon on May 20, 2019.
A Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s deputy encountered Carson on June 6, 2018, in the parking lot of a Scott, Louisiana, apartment complex. When the deputy approached him, Carson fled. While in pursuit, the deputy saw Carson run towards a vehicle and place an object in the vehicle’s wheel well. When the deputy caught up with Carson, he acknowledged that the loaded Cobra.380-caliber semi-automatic pistol found in the wheel well of the car belonged to him.
Carson was previously convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal carrying of a firearm in state court on Aug. 17, 2010. Under federal law, a felon is not allowed to possess firearms and ammunition.
The ATF and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
