New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Gun Control Act

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - KENNETH TATE ("TATE"), age 43, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 24, 2024, by United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, for violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court records, law enforcement conducted surveillance near Tara Lane in New Orleans East and saw TATE, armed with a rifle, standing in the breezeway of an apartment building. The officers saw TATE conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction, while armed with that rifle. When they tried to arrest TATE, he fled into a particular apartment before finally surrendering. During a subsequent search of the apartment, the police found an American Tactical, 5.56-millimeter semi-automatic rifle anda Ruger LCP, .380 caliber pistol. TATE had prior felony convictions that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Judge Ashe sentenced TATE to 64 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.