BOGALUSA, LA – Jakari Brown, 24, of Bogalusa, Louisiana, has admitted to illegally possessing firearms despite a prior felony conviction, according to federal prosecutors. Brown, also known as “Jakari Lemar,” pled guilty on October 25, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry to two counts of violating federal gun control laws.
The charges stem from two separate incidents. Court documents reveal that on April 25, 2019, Brown possessed an Iberia Firearm (HiPoint) Model JPC, .40 caliber pistol during a shootout near the intersection of Hickory and South Columbia Streets in Bogalusa. The details of the shootout itself remain murky, but Brown’s involvement placed him squarely in the crosshairs of both local and federal authorities.
Nearly two years later, on December 27, 2021, Bogalusa police discovered another firearm – a Smith & Wesson Model SW9VE, 9 millimeter pistol – hidden under the driver’s seat of the vehicle Brown was operating. This second discovery solidified the case against Brown, demonstrating a pattern of disregard for the law and a continued willingness to possess weapons despite his convicted felon status.
Federal prosecutors, Assistant United States Attorneys J. Benjamin Myers and Maurice Landrieu, are pursuing the maximum penalty allowed by law. Brown faces up to ten years imprisonment for each of the two offenses, totaling a potential twenty-year sentence. He also risks fines of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release following imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
The case was a joint effort between the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Federal officials framed the prosecution as part of “Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN),” a broad initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement and community organizations.
The Department of Justice launched a renewed focus on PSN in May 2021, emphasizing community trust-building, support for violence prevention groups, strategic enforcement, and measurable results. While officials tout these efforts, the grim reality remains: another felon is off the streets, and the cycle of gun violence continues to plague communities like Bogalusa, Louisiana. U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans is prosecuting the case.
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