New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Gun Control Act

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - KENNETH TATE ("TATE"), age 43, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on July 25, 2024, before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, to a violation of 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 when they saw TATE, armed with a rifle, as he stood in the breezeway of an apartment building. The officers observed as TATE conducted a hand-to-hand drug transaction, while armed with that rifle. When officers moved in to arrest TATE, he fled into the apartment complex, and entered a particular apartment. Police surrounded the apartment, and TATE eventually surrendered. During a subsequent search of the apartment, the police found the rifle and another handgun. TATE had prior felony convictions that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Judge Ashe set sentencing for October 24, 2024. TATE faces a maximum term of 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 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.