A Monroe man has been sentenced to prison for illegally possessing a machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to an announcement by Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook and Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced Tristan Barber, 21, to 180 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and 120 months to run concurrently for possession of a machine gun. Barber will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term.
Court records state that on April 16, 2024, Barber was found with a loaded Glock handgun in a student dormitory at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. The weapon had an extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device (MCD), which allows semiautomatic firearms to function as fully automatic weapons capable of firing continuously with one trigger pull. At the time, Barber was prohibited from possessing any firearm due to his status as a convicted felon.
Authorities determined that the machine gun in Barber’s possession matched shell casings found at the scene of a shooting that took place in Monroe on March 29, 2024.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Monroe Police Department, and Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Semmes from the Western District of Louisiana, along with Trial Attorney Christopher Usher from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, prosecuted the case.
“There are serious consequences for those who violate federal firearms laws,” said Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
