James Harris, a 33-year-old from Mississippi, pled guilty to possession of machine guns on April 23, 2025. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance accepted Harris's guilty plea, which was in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2). The announcement of Harris’s plea came from Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
The case stems from investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which focused on firearm trafficking in New Orleans. Between September and November 2023, Harris engaged in communications with ATF agents concerning the purchase of machine guns and other firearms. On November 15, 2023, Harris completed a transaction selling these firearms to undercover ATF agents in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Harris is set to be sentenced on August 13, 2025, facing possible sentences of up to ten years in prison, a fine reaching $250,000, three years of supervised release post-imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This legal action is a part of Operation Take Back America, a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and safeguarding communities from violent criminal activities. The operation integrates resources from the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives led the investigation, while Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman from the Narcotics Unit is managing the prosecution.