Duane A. Evans, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana
United States Attorney Duane A. Evans has announced the sentencing of Milton Rayo Castillo, a 26-year-old native of Costa Rica, for illegal firearm possession. On January 28, 2025, United States District Judge Wendy Vitter sentenced Rayo Castillo to fifty-two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
The indictment revealed that on or about March 10, 2024, Rayo Castillo was found with a nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol at a restaurant in Kenner, Louisiana. He allegedly brandished the weapon at a patron while being illegally present in the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. The Department launched a strategy on May 26, 2021, to enhance PSN's efforts by fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Kenner Police Department for their investigative work. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis from the General Crimes Unit managed the prosecution.
