SHREVEPORT, La. –United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a man from Many was sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegally possessing a shotgun.
John Michael Murphy, 30, Many, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the September 14, 2016 guilty plea, Many police initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle Murphy was riding in on January 9, 2016. Once the police activated their patrol car’s overhead lights, a shotgun was thrown from the vehicle. When the vehicle came to a stop, Murphy exited and fled into a wooded area. Police retrieved the firearm, which was determined to be a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with ammunition. The defendant was later arrested at his residence in Many.
This investigation and prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes by preventing the possession and use of firearms by dangerous and persistent felons and others not authorized to possess a firearm.
The ATF, Many Police Department and Zwolle Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.