Two South Louisiana Men Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearms | USAO-WDLA

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – Acting US Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that two men from southern Louisiana were convicted of illegal gun possession by US District Judge Michael J. Juneau today.

Eric Etienne, 33, of New Iberia, Louisiana, was sentenced to 65 months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and then to 3 years of supervised release. In May 2021, Etienne stood on trial on the charges and was found guilty by a federal jury in Lafayette. Evidence at the trial showed that New Iberia Police Department officers discovered a video on Instagram on December 18, 2018, showing Etienne holding an AR-15 rifle, two AK-47s and a Glock pistol. Law enforcement officers were familiar with Etienne, a convicted felon, and were able to determine the New Iberia location where the video was recorded. Later that day, officers reacted to the scene where the video was recorded. Upon arrival, Etienne was found near a silver limousine featured in the video, wearing the same clothing as in the video. The officers found the AR-15 and Glock pistols clearly visible in the limousine. A search of a nearby apartment found one of the AK-47s. Etienne had previously been convicted of attempted manslaughter in 2006.

The ATF and the New Iberia Police Department conducted the investigation. US assistant attorneys David J. Ayo and Danny Siefker are pursuing the case.

Patrick Joiner, 54, of Erath, Louisiana, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 3 years supervised release for illegally possessing a gun in a drug trafficking crime. On October 18, 2018, a state search warrant was executed at Joiner’s home by the Vermilion Parish Sheriffs Office deputies. During the search, police officers confiscated methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, cash and a loaded gun. Joiner was charged with possession of a firearm in aid of a drug trafficking crime. As a person previously convicted of capital crimes, Joiner was prohibited from possessing a firearm. His criminal history is long as he was convicted of 6 capital crimes in 1989.

The ATF and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. U.S. Assistant Attorney John W. Nickel is pursuing the case.

These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for all. Part of the Department’s renewed focus on combating violent criminals, PSN is instructing all U.S. attorneys to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and the local community to develop effective, locally-based reduction strategies from developing violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

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