Ledale Deanthony Sawyer, a 35-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of a stolen firearm. The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney April M. Leon and was handed down by Judge John W. deGravelles. In addition to the prison term, Sawyer will serve three years of supervised release, and the firearm involved in the case will be forfeited.
The case stems from an incident on July 16, 2023, when Baton Rouge Police responded to a domestic disturbance. A caller, referred to as Victim-1, reported that Sawyer was inside her residence with an AR-15 rifle. When police arrived, Victim-1 informed them of the firearm's location, which had been hidden from Sawyer. Officers retrieved the weapon, identified as a Wise Arms, Model WA-15B rifle. Sawyer was subsequently located and arrested nearby, identified by both Victim-1 and a neck tattoo featuring his name.
An investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen on June 22, 2023. The original victim, referred to as Victim-2, recounted an incident where an individual threateningly displayed a firearm and stole one from her car.
Further evidence against Sawyer included photos posted on his social media profile on June 30, 2023, showing him with a firearm. These images were compared to the seized weapon, and agents concluded they depicted the same firearm due to distinctive markings.
The investigation was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives in conjunction with the Baton Rouge Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Lundin Craig.
