Carnell L. Briggs, Firearms Trafficking, Louisiana 2023

Grimy Times Exclusive

SHREVEPORT, La.

Two Shreveport men have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in firearms-related crimes in the Western District of Louisiana.

Carnell L. Briggs, also known as ‘Bankroll’ and ‘Bug’, 23, of Shreveport, was sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to spend 49 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release on firearms charges. Briggs, a local rapper, was arrested on September 15, 2020, after serving a federal sentence for possession of a stolen firearm in the Western District of Louisiana. Agents of the U.S. Marshal Service Task Force executed an outstanding arrest warrant for illegal use of a weapon on Briggs at his girlfriend’s apartment.

Briggs admitted to agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that he purchased the firearm soon after being released from federal prison and knew he was prohibited from having a firearm in his possession.

Dschwadraa D. Wesley, 26, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to spend 120 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Wesley was charged in a federal indictment with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge on January 5, 2021. The charge stems from an incident which occurred on February 3, 2020, when Shreveport Police Department officers responded to a domestic call at a residence.

Wesley was arrested after a lengthy pursuit during which he threw a 9mm pistol, which had been reported stolen in November 2019, out of the window of the vehicle in which he was a passenger. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Wesley was taken into custody and admitted to possessing the firearm, despite knowing it was illegal for him to do so as a person convicted of a felony offense. Wesley’s prior convictions are for possession with intent to distribute narcotics (2013) and attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (2015).

The ATF, U.S. Marshal Service Task Force, and Shreveport Police Department conducted these investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon B. Brown and Tennille Gilreath prosecuted the cases.

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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