New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of Ammunition

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on October 10, 2024, that WILLIE SYLVESTER ("SYLVESTER"), a/k/a "Wooso," age 29, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). SYLVESTER faces up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

According to court records, on April 16, 2020, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (JPSO) deputies were sent to the 1500 block of Westwood Drive in connection with a shooting at that location. Deputies located the victim, SYLVESTER, in a canal bank suffering from gunshots wounds to the hand and thigh. Crime scene technicians collected thirty-seven (37) nine-millimeter casings, as well as a copper jacket, some located near SYLVESTER. Testing determined that the casings were shot from two different weapons.

Between April and September of 2020, JPSO continued to investigate SYLVESTER for his involvement in the April 2020 shooting. Additionally, between April and September of 2020, investigators observed SYLVESTER post several social media messages with weapons and acknowledging an exchange of gunfire with another subject. SYLVESTER also specifically acknowledged in a separate message that he fired a gun during this shooting before being shot in the hand.

Federal law prohibits convicted felons, such as SYLVESTER, from possessing ammunition. In 2013, SYLVESTER was convicted of a felony in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court and again, on November 6, 2014, SYLVESTER was convicted in Louisiana's 24th Judicial District Court. SYLVESTER knew he had been convicted of these felonies at the time that he possessed the ammunition.

Chief United States District Judge, Nannette Jolivette Brown, will sentence SYLVESTERon January 16, 2025.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Public Integrity Unit.