SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that Kevin James Bell, 27, of Shreveport, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr., to two and a half years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On February 13, 2018, an officer with the Shreveport Police Department responded to a call about an incident at a Shreveport apartment and came into contact with Bell. During the encounter with Bell, the officer observed a firearm in his waistband. Bell was arrested, and the officers seized the .22 caliber E15 Herbert Schmidt revolver. As part of his plea on May 21, 2020, Bell admitted that at the time he possessed the firearm, he knew that he had been previously convicted of three felonies. Under federal law, a convicted felon is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition.
Bell was convicted of simple burglary in 2013, and simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling in 2014. In 2017, he was convicted of simple criminal damage to property.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Shreveport Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN plays a major role in the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.