Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RASHEED SMITH (“SMITH”), age 34, of Marrero, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 22, 2025 by United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion to seventy (70) months imprisonment followed by three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, in January 2023, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies encountered SMITH during a routine traffic stop. SMITH abandoned the vehicle in an attempt to flee. After a brief struggle, SMITH was apprehended. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a firearm in the driver’s side door compartment. Due to previous felony convictions, SMITH is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Kennedy of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.