Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On February 21, 2024, United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced AARON HENDERSON, age 28, a resident of New Orleans, for violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, HENDERSON pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. HENDERSON came to the attention of law enforcement after the New Orleans Police Child Abuse Unit received a video depicting HENDERSON in a residential room with a three-year-old male juvenile. HENDERSON was armed with a Draco 7.62 mm rifle, rapping lyrics to an unknown song. He encouraged the three-year-old to pick up a handgun located under some clothing on the bed, and the three-year-old picked up the handgun and began to waive it around. During all this time, HENDERSON was a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Judge Vance sentenced HENDERSON to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered 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, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Senior Litigation Counsel David Haller.