United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Brandon Khesahn Cooper, 50, of Dubach, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty. Cooper was sentenced to 11 ½ years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of firearms by a convicted felon and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to evidence presented in court, deputies with the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant on Cooper’s residence on October 19, 2021. Inside his bedroom, deputies found 12 grams of methamphetamine and a Charter Arms .38 revolver next to Cooper’s wallet. Deputies also found packaging material consistent with distribution of illegal substances and a .410 gauge shotgun in the bedroom.
Law enforcement agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) interviewed Cooper. In the interview, Cooper claimed the methamphetamine and firearms, and admitted to agents he was selling drugs and had purchased the revolver even though he was a convicted felon. Cooper had previously been convicted of a felony and knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined the revolver and shotgun were both manufactured outside of the state of Louisiana and had traveled in interstate commerce.
The case was investigated by the Sheriff’s Department, DEA, and ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moody.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney noted the case was “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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.”.
