U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans | U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Tyshon Coleman, a 28-year-old resident of Hammond, Louisiana, was sentenced to 106 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown on December 19, 2024. Coleman had previously pled guilty to charges under the Federal Controlled Substances and Federal Gun Control Acts.
Coleman faced two counts: Count Three involved possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, violating 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i), for which he received a 60-month sentence. Count Five involved possession of machine guns, violating 18 U.S.C. Sections 922(o)(1) and 924(a)(2), resulting in a 46-month sentence. These sentences are to be served consecutively.
Following his imprisonment, Coleman will also undergo three years of supervised release and must pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
Court records indicate that on May 18, 2022, the Ponchatoula Police Department responded to a complaint at the Walmart Supercenter regarding Coleman's possession of a firearm. Officers found Coleman and another male inside a vehicle in the parking lot. When officers asked Coleman to show his hands, he refused to comply. Upon removing him from the vehicle, officers discovered a Glock Model 17 handgun with a machine gun conversion device and an extended magazine loaded with ammunition between the passenger seat and center console.
Additionally, officers found two backpacks in the vehicle: one red backpack containing another Glock Model 17 pistol with similar modifications alongside various drugs and paraphernalia; and one green backpack containing cocaine hydrochloride and marijuana.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through community collaboration and strategic enforcement priorities. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives along with the Ponchatoula Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed from the Public Integrity Unit is prosecuting this case.
