NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –NOLAN LONG (“LONG”), age 34, was sentenced on March 24, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Darryl J. Papillion to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).According to court documents, on January 10, 2023, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) detectives observed a group of individuals, including LONG, exhibiting signs that they were carrying concealed firearms. When marked NOPD units arrived in the area to investigate, LONG fled on foot and discarded a loaded Walther P22, .22 caliber pistol before being apprehended.
LONG is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for simple robbery and a prior felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.