David Louis IV, a 23-year-old resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 7 to 33 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Darrell J. Papillion handed down the sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence is set to run consecutively to an undetermined sentence related to a pending state prosecution for possessing contraband in jail and concurrently with sentences yet to be imposed for probation violations in two separate state court matters, U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle said.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal and local authorities to address gun violence involving individuals prohibited from owning firearms due to prior felony convictions.
According to court records, detectives from the New Orleans Police Department were conducting surveillance near Conrad Park on April 15, 2025, when they observed Louis and an associate enter the park. Louis was seen removing marijuana from his backpack and smoking it before also taking out a black pistol from his waistband area. Later, as Louis approached a silver Nissan Altima driven by his girlfriend—with other adults and minors inside—he engaged in an argument with the occupants during which he waved the pistol in the air.
When officers arrived at the scene after witnessing Louis with the firearm, he entered the front passenger seat of the vehicle and placed both his Glock Model 23 pistol—loaded with twenty-two rounds—and his backpack on the driver’s side floorboard. A subsequent search recovered these items along with additional ammunition, marijuana, and identification belonging to Louis.
Louis is legally barred from possessing firearms due to previous felony convictions.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative that uses resources from several Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)—to combat illegal immigration and violent crime across communities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Orleans Police Department investigated this case; Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed prosecuted it.
