New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NATHANIEL WILLIAMS, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 16, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry to 156 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, along with a $300 mandatory special assessment fee, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A).

According to court documents, on March 29, 2023, WILLIAMS was conducting hand-to-hand drug sales near the Valero gas station on South Claiborne Avenue. When marked New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) vehicles arrived at the gas station, WILLIAMS fled across South Claiborne and threw a loaded gun onto the neutral ground. WILLIAMS then hid underneath a house nearby and discarded 66 baggies of cocaine before being apprehended by NOPD.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.