Convicted felon from Monroe pleads guilty to illegally possessing loaded pistol

MONROE, La. – Derrick Antonio Hall, 37, of Monroe, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph.

According to the guilty plea, Hall drove to a gas station in Monroe on July 20, 2018, and left the car idling with loud music playing as he entered the gas station.  Monroe police arrived shortly thereafter and observed the unattended vehicle.  When the officers approached Hall upon his return to the vehicle, they smelled marijuana coming from inside the car and saw a bag of suspected marijuana.  During a search of the vehicle, an officer found a Glock, Model: G26, 9 mm-caliber pistol with an extended magazine containing 24 rounds of ammunition.

Hall was convicted in 2001 in state court for carrying a firearm on school property and sentenced to three years in prison.  He was also convicted in 2004 in state court for distribution of cocaine and sentenced to five years in prison. Under federal law, a felon is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Hall faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is scheduled for October 2, 2019.

The ATF and Monroe Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon H. Whitten is prosecuting the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) 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 lasting reductions in crime.