U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Tyshon Coleman, a 28-year-old resident of Hammond, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 106 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. The sentencing took place on December 19, 2024, following Coleman's guilty plea to charges under the Federal Controlled Substances and Federal Gun Control Acts.
Coleman was charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of machine guns. For the first charge, he received a sentence of 60 months, while for the second charge, he was sentenced to 46 months. These sentences will run consecutively.
In addition to his prison term, Coleman faces three years of supervised release and must pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
The case originated from an incident on May 18, 2022, when Ponchatoula Police Department officers responded to a complaint at the Walmart Supercenter about a man with a firearm. Upon arrival at the parking lot, officers found Coleman and another male inside a vehicle. After refusing to comply with orders to show his hands, Coleman was removed from the vehicle by officers who discovered firearms and drugs in his possession.
Officers found two Glock Model 17 pistols equipped with machine gun conversion devices along with marijuana, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine hydrochloride, and other items in backpacks located within the vehicle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the Ponchatoula Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed is prosecuting the case as part of the Public Integrity Unit.