Bossier City Man Convicted on Gun Charges

For Immediate Release
August 24, 2010

Stephanie A. Finley, United States Attorney

Shreveport, Louisiana — A Bossier City resident faces a lengthy prison sentence after a federal jury returned a guilty verdict on felony firearm charges. Billy Dewayne Moore, 32, was convicted by a federal jury of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today. U.S. District Judge Tom Stagg presided at the trial.

According to court testimony, on October 27, 2009, officers with the Louisiana Probation and Parole office visited the defendant’s home he was sharing with his girlfriend to conduct a search for a firearm. A loaded .45 pistol was found in a dresser drawer. The officers also discovered a shoe box in the bedroom that contained .45 caliber ammunition.

Trial testimony revealed that Moore has an extensive felony criminal history dating back to 1997. His criminal history includes assault and battery, illegal possession of firearms, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, and alcohol and drug offenses. The defendant’s most recent felony conviction is a December 2008 Bossier Parish conviction for illegally carrying a firearm.

Moore is scheduled for sentencing on December 2, 2010, at 2:30 p.m. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life, a $250,000 fine, or both. Sentencing in federal court is determined by the discretion of federal judges and the governing statute.

This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide program begun in 2001 and was designed to reduce violence in our communities by aggressively using existing federal firearms laws. This case was investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Shreveport Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell.