Honduran National Sentenced for Firearm Possession

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DANIEL IGNACIO MEJIA-CASTILLO (“MEJIA”), age 32, a native of Honduras, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to 144 months in imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(5)(A) and 924(a)(8).

According to court documents, an armed robbery occurred on the evening of February 8, 2022, in the parking lot of El Milagro Church located on 440 N. Dorgenois Street in New Orleans. New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers responded to the scene and searched the area for potential suspects. During their search, officers discovered MEJIA crouching in a patch of overgrown grass near the 2500 block of St. Louis Street. MEJIA, an illegal alien from Honduras, was found in possession of a firearm. The firearm was identified as a Kel-Tec Model PF-9, nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. MEJIA was subsequently detained by police.

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.

Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Inspector General - Social Security Administration and, the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.