New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of Firearm

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DARVALE WILLIAMS ("WILLIAMS"), age 20, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on February 18, 2026, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, by being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to court records, in March 2024, the FBI surveilled an apartment complex in New Orleans East and observed a suspicious looking Toyota Camry parked behind the complex. As the FBI agents who were watching the apartment complex saw the Camry begin to circle the complex to leave, they blocked the Camry's exit causing the occupants, including WILLIAMS and another male, to abandon the Camry and flee on foot. Both men were apprehended by law enforcement shortly thereafter and WILLIAMS left behind a Romarm/Cugir Draco 7.62 rifle on the backseat. That Romarm/Cugir Draco rifle had been reported stolen on December 26, 2022, during a home robbery.

Judge Milazzo set sentencing for May 20, 2026. WILLIAMS faces a maximum term of ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the New Orleans District Attorney's Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Liz Privitera and Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.