U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans | U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Duane A. Evans has announced that Daniel Ignacio Mejia-Castillo, a 32-year-old Honduran national, pleaded guilty to firearm possession as an illegal alien. The plea was entered on January 7, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown.
The case stems from an armed robbery that took place on February 8, 2022, in the 4400 block of N. Dorgenois Street in New Orleans. Officers from the New Orleans Police Department responded to the incident and began searching for suspects in the area. During their search, they found Mejia crouching in overgrown grass near the 2500 block of St. Louis Street. He was discovered with a Kel-Tec Model PF-9 nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol and subsequently arrested.
Mejia now faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. His sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2025.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a strategy to strengthen PSN by focusing on trust-building within communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Office of the Inspector General Social Security Administration, and the New Orleans Police Department for their roles in investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is overseeing the prosecution.
