Varion Rogelio Lobo-Barahona, a 31-year-old Honduran national, has been sentenced for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. The sentencing took place on December 10, 2024, by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long. U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Lobo-Barahona received a sentence of time served, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Court documents reveal that on November 23, 2023, Lobo-Barahona was found with a Smith and Wesson handgun while illegally present in the United States. Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies stopped a vehicle without a license plate driving recklessly at high speed. Upon pulling over the vehicle, they discovered the handgun in Lobo-Barahona's waistband. The gun, identified as a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson Model SD40, was manufactured outside the state and reported stolen. Further investigation revealed that Lobo-Barahona is a Honduran citizen who had been deported on July 5, 2013, and had not obtained permission to re-enter the United States.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, focusing on building trust within communities, supporting community-based violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes.
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the efforts of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in this investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice Jr., from the General Crimes Unit, led the prosecution.