Department of Justice

LAFAYETTE, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that three men from South Louisiana were sentenced today for illegally possessing firearms by United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr.

Jaquan Smith, 27, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of an unregistered firearm. On October 10, 2018, law enforcement officers in Jennings, Louisiana stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in which Smith was a passenger. Officers found Smith to have a square-shaped object bearing a Glock insignia in his possession. The device is capable of converting a firearm into a machine gun. The machine gun converter device was not registered to Smith in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Smith knew that the purpose of the converter device was to turn a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun and was illegal for him to possess.

The ATF and Jennings Police Department conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorneys T. Forrest Phillips and Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.

Jeffery James Sullivan, 24, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. On August 18, 2018, Sullivan attempted to purchase a firearm while under indictment on felony charges in the 14th Judicial District Court in the State of Louisiana, including aggravated second degree battery and illegal use of a weapon in commission of a crime of violence. While completing the ATF Form 4473 to purchase the firearm, Sullivan falsely answered “NO” to the question on the form, “Are you under indictment or information in any court for a felony, or any other crime, for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year?” Sullivan made this false statement intending to deceive the firearms dealer in order to purchase the firearm and was therefore charged.

The ATF conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.

Timothy Caudle, 43, of Oakdale, Louisiana, was sentenced to 2 years of supervised probation, for illegally possessing firearms at a federal facility. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on May 10, 2019, when Caudle went to the Fort Polk Community Based Outpatient Clinic for an appointment. When clinic administrators told Caudle they would not be able to order his medication because he was behind on his scheduled appointments with the Clinic, Caudle became upset and made threatening remarks to the staff. This behavior caused law enforcement officers to monitor Caudle and determine whether or not he had any weapons on his person or in his vehicle, which possession was strictly prohibited in the federal facility and on the federal property. Officers found that Caudle illegally possessed two firearms in his vehicle on the federal property.

This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leon H. Whitten and John W. Nickel.

These cases are 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

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