Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On August 29, 2023, United States District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced MORRIS SUMMERS, age 33, a resident of New Orleans, to 30 months in the Bureau of Prisons following his guilty plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records and statements made in court, SUMMERS was convicted several years ago in another federal case before Judge Morgan of conspiring to distribute crack and conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. That case involved a violent gang that referred to itself as the “Ride or Die Gang”. In this case, SUMMERS admitted to being in the same area of the 8th Ward where “Ride or Die” had previously operated, while in possession of a Springfield Armory, Hellcat, 9 milli-meter caliber semi-automatic pistol. SUMMERS acknowledged his prior federal conviction as part of this guilty plea.
Judge Morgan also sentenced SUMMERS to serve three years of supervised release upon his release from imprisonment and ordered him 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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.