Deville man pleads guilty to owning unregistered silencer

Jonathan Hayes, 32, of Deville pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm in U.S. District Court on April 16.

U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph said Hayes admitted to owning a silencer that had not been registered.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries agents arrested Hayes on June 1, 2016, in the Camp Beauregard Wildlife Management Area in Rapides Parish. He had a Ruger .22 caliber rifle, a Savage .22 caliber rifle and a firearm silencer.

The silencer, classified as a firearm under federal law, had no identification or serial number and was not registered in the National Firearms and Transfer Record.

Hayes will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on June 20 and could face 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The ATF and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti prosecuted the case.