LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that two Lake Charles felons were sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter for illegal possession of a firearm.

 

Lake Charles felon sentenced to 48 months in prison for possessing handgun

Keelan Broussard, 27, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to four years in prison for possessing a handgun.  The Calcasieu Combined Anti-Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on May 23, 2018 at Broussard’s home, and found a Taurus .38 Special handgun, ammunition, approximately $2,400 in cash, marijuana and cocaine in Broussard’s bedroom.  Broussard is a felon who has been convicted of drug and firearms related charges.  Under federal law, convicted felons are not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.  Broussard admitted that he owned the firearm at his guilty plea in federal court on December 14, 2018.

The ATF and the Calcasieu Combined Anti-drug Task Force conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti prosecuted the case.

 

Lake Charles felon sentenced to 30 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a rifle

            Forrest Cecil Coker II, 33, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a stolen rifle.  Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrived on April 21, 2018 at a home on Laurel Avenue in Calcasieu Parish searching for an individual with pending felony warrants.  When officers approached the home, Coker came out to meet them, and stated he needed to step back inside the residence to subdue an aggressive dog.  Upon his return, officers received permission to enter and search the residence.  During the search, they found a DPMS Model AR-10, .308-caliber rifle that was reported stolen, a small amount of suspected methamphetamine, four suspected Alprazolam pills and two suspected Citalopram pills, along with marijuana pipes, a methamphetamine pipe, marijuana grinders and an electric scale. 

Under federal law, Coker is not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon.  Coker was previously convicted on four separate occasions in the State of Louisiana's 14th Judicial District Court for simple burglary and illegal use of a weapon.  He pleaded guilty in federal court on December 17, 2018.

The ATF and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.

Both cases were prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for reductions in crime.