Department of Justice

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SHAWN RABATHALY, age 22, of Harvey, Louisiana, was sentenced on June 6, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Susie Morgan to 46 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee 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), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. Judge Morgan also imposed RABATHALY’s sentence consecutive to whatever sentence that may arise from a pending case in the 24th Judicial District Court of Louisiana. In that matter, RABATHALY is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On August 5, 2021, Jefferson Parish detectives observed RABATHALY exit his residence, remove an Anderson Model AM-15, 5.56 caliber rifle from his trunk, and placed it in the passenger compartment. Later that day, detectives stopped RABATHALY’S vehicle and discovered the rifle in plain view inside the vehicle. As a convicted felon, it is unlawful for RABATHALY to possess a firearm. Thereafter, detectives arrested RABATHALY.

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.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Louisiana State Police, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.