Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MAURICE FLORANT (“FLORANT”), age 34, formerly a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to 180 months imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). The sentence, 180 months, is the maximum statutory sentence allowed. Judge Barbier also ordered that FLORANT be placed on supervised release for three (3) years following his release from imprisonment and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Court documents reveal that on September 5, 2022, FLORANT, a convicted felon, and another unknown individual, were seen on a home video camera shooting at two individuals with two pistols while driving in New Orleans in a stolen vehicle. Four days later, FLORANT was seen in a different stolen vehicle by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) deputies but fled when they attempted to stop him. A high-speed chase ensued that ended when FLORANT crashed into an exterior air conditioning unit of an apartment complex. FLORANT ran from deputies but was eventually arrested. A Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15, .556 caliber pistol, and a CZ Scorpion Model EVO 3 S1, nine-millimeter pistol were recovered from the stolen car FLORANT was driving. Ballistic testing revealed that the shell casings found at the scene of the shooting matched the shell casings from the pistols found in the stolen car FLORANT was driving. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives assisted JPSO and the New Orleans Police Department in the investigation.
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.
United States Attorney Evans praised work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Miller of the Narcotics Unit handled the prosecution.