Covington Man Sentenced to 36 Months for Federal Gun Charges

NEW ORLEANS, LA –JESSY AVILA-VENEGAS, age 28, of Covington, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 1, 2023 for five counts of violating the Federal Gun Control Act pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(a)(6) and 924(a)(2). AVILA-VENEGAS was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a total of  $500.00 in mandatory special assessment fees, announced  United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.

The sentence is pursuant to AVILA-VENEGAS’s federal conviction for making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms. On five separate occasions, he falsely represented that he was the true purchaser of the firearm(s) on the required Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) Form 4473. However, he was not the true purchaser and made the transactions on behalf of  another person he knew was not eligible to receive a firearm.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by ATF and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss of the Violent Crimes Unit.

*   *   *