New Orleans Man Sentenced for Firearms Violation

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that XAVIER DUHON, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on May 14, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, to 87 months imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a machine gun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).  Judge Guidry also ordered that DUHON be placed on supervised release for 3 years following release from imprisonment and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

According to court records, on March 23, 2023, following a traffic collision, DUHON fired upon another vehicle while crossing the Crescent City Connection bridge, east bank bound.  Law enforcement officers attempted to stop DUHON’s vehicle, but DUHON led officers on both a vehicle and foot, pursuit.  DUHON was arrested shortly thereafter in the 900 block of Magazine Street.  As officers reviewed surveillance video and retraced DUHON’s flight path, they recovered two pistols, a Glock Model 17, 9-millimeter pistol and a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber pistol, each equipped with a machinegun conversion device.

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 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.