A New Orleans resident has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. David Louis IV, age 22, admitted to the charge in violation of federal law and now faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine that could reach $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Court documents state that on April 15, 2025, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) conducted surveillance near Conrad Park on Hamilton Street using Real Time Crime Center cameras. The location was chosen due to its reputation for gun violence and drug activity.
Detectives observed Louis and a female associate enter the park. Louis was seen carrying a black backpack from which he removed marijuana before smoking it with his associate. He also took out a black pistol from his waistband.
Later, a silver Nissan Altima arrived at the park driven by Louis’s girlfriend and occupied by another adult woman and Louis’s children. During an argument with the occupants of the car, Louis waved the pistol in the air. When NOPD officers approached in marked units after witnessing this behavior, Louis entered the front passenger seat of the vehicle and placed both his Glock model 23 .40 caliber pistol—with an extended magazine loaded with twenty-two rounds—and his backpack on the driver’s side floorboard.
A subsequent search by police recovered both items from where they had been placed. Inside Louis’s backpack were three live rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, another magazine containing eleven live rounds, marijuana in a clear plastic bag, and a Louisiana ID card bearing his name.
Louis is legally barred from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions.
United States District Court Judge Darrell J. Papillion will sentence Louis on April 7, 2026.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
The investigation was carried out by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and NOPD. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed is prosecuting this case for the Violent Crime Unit.
