New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating the Federal Gun Control Act

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -IVAN BALLARD ("BALLARD"), age 21, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 25, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court records, New Orleans Police Department officers responded to an event in the 4700 block of Erato Street when they saw BALLARDducking by a car to put something under the vehicle. An officer looked under the vehicle and saw a rifle. BALLARD ran and was detained by the officers. As they attempted to handcuff BALLARD, his brother took the rifle from beneath the car and threw it over a nearby fence. The officers ultimately recovered what was later determined to be an AR-15 style rifle. Record checks revealed that BALLARD had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a firearm only few weeks before. As a result, the officers arrested him for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The United States later adopted these state charges for federal prosecution and charged BALLARD with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Judge Barbier sentenced BALLARD to 60 months in the Bureau of Prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Barbier also ordered BALLARD to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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 New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel.