NEW ORLEANS MAN SENTENCED FOR WEAPONS VIOLATION
EARL S. PLATT, age 21, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today in federal court by U. S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt to 48 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm in New Orleans, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten. The sentence represents an upwards variance from PLATT’s sentencing guidelines. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Engelhardt ordered that PLATT be placed on three (3) years of supervised release following the term of imprisonment, during which time the defendant will be under federal supervision and risks an additional term of imprisonment should he violate any terms of his supervised release.
According to court documents, PLATT previously pled guilty admitting that on July 21, 2010, he was found hiding in the closet of an abandoned residence in which two loaded firearms - a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a loaded .41 caliber revolver were found. Further, PLATT was on probation at the time based on a previous December, 2009 conviction in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court for Attempted Possession of a Firearm.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) as well as the New Orleans Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters.
