John Wesley Smith, 40, of Jonesville, La., is headed to federal prison for one year and one day after pleading guilty to possessing an unregistered firearm silencer — one he allegedly built from parts of an old boat. U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell handed down the sentence Wednesday in Alexandria, marking the end of a probe that uncovered a backyard operation for illegal suppressors.
The trouble began on September 1, 2015, when Louisiana State Police surveilled a home in Jonesville during an unrelated investigation. Officers watched as Smith entered the residence and confronted him upon exit. When they accompanied him to his vehicle for ID, they spotted an M4 rifle in the front seat — barrel down, loaded with a scope, a large capacity magazine, and a silencer. Smith didn’t flinch when asked about the device; instead, he casually admitted to building the silencer himself from scrap boat parts.
Under federal law, silencers and their components are classified as firearms. They must carry serial numbers and be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The unit Smith possessed had neither. It was seized immediately, along with the rifle, as agents informed him of the legal requirements he’d ignored.
The case reignited months later on March 3, 2016, when federal agents moved in to arrest Smith at his home. During the arrest, they found methamphetamine and marijuana in his pants pocket and a 22 caliber pistol strapped to his ankle. That raid peeled back the curtain further — a search of his property revealed three additional homemade, unregistered silencers sitting on a workbench inside a shed.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) joined the Louisiana State Police in building the case against Smith, exposing a rogue operation that bypassed every federal safeguard meant to control deadly accessories. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael O’Mara prosecuted, emphasizing the danger of untraceable, unlicensed firearms tech in civilian hands.
Smith was sentenced on one count of possessing an unregistered firearm — specifically, a firearm silencer, muffler, or suppressor — and will serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. The message from federal prosecutors is clear: build a weapon accessory without a serial number, and you’re not just breaking the law — you’re building your own cell block pass.
Related Federal Cases
- Lafayette Man Cuffed for Illegal Gun Possession · Louisiana
- Sulphur Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Silencer Possession · Louisiana
- New Orleans Man Darren Ruffin Cuffed for Gun Possession · Louisiana
- New Orleans Man Cuffed for Gun Possession at VA Hospital · Louisiana
- Monroe Felon Cuffed for Guns, Ammo Haul · Louisiana
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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