Man With Domestic Abuse Battery Conviction Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Michael O. Falcone, 41, of McComb, Mississippi, was sentenced today for illegal possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced Falcone to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to evidence presented to the court, on September 29, 2021, law enforcement officers with the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Falcone. Deputies observed Falcone with a knife that was visible on his person and multiple other knives in plain view in the vehicle and thus, conducted a pat down search of Falcone. The deputy found a fully loaded handgun magazine in Falcone’s outer front pocket. A search warrant was obtained by law enforcement to search Falcone’s vehicle. Inside deputies found a fully loaded Sig Sauer P365 handgun in the glove box and a J.C. Higgins revolver located under the driver’s seat. Falcone previously pleaded guilty to domestic abuse battery in 2012 and was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
Falcone was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in April 2022 and pleaded guilty to the charge on July 7, 2022.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy.
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.
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