Ex-New Iberia Officer Pleads Guilty to New Orleans Terrorism Conspiracy Charge

LAFAYETTE, La. — A former New Iberia police officer and U.S. Marine pled guilty in federal court Tuesday to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, closing out a case that began with his arrest on a stretch of U.S. 90 outside New Iberia last December, federal court documents show.

Micah James Legnon, 29, entered his plea before U.S. District Court Judge David C. Joseph. His sentencing and the plea agreement’s formal acceptance are scheduled for Dec. 11, 2026, at 2 p.m.

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What Legnon Admitted To

Legnon pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists, a violation of Title 18, Section 2339A(a)(1) of the U.S. Code. Court documents show he joined the “Order of the Black Lotus,” a faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, in early 2025.

Prosecutors describe the faction as a radical, anti-government group that used encrypted messaging to coordinate plans for explosive attacks, including a planned attack on a logistics facility in California. Legnon agreed to lend the group his military tactical experience, discussed building improvised explosive devices with other members throughout 2025, and saved a photo of an explosive device with instructions on his phone.

FBI

Legnon also offered to train fellow members in urban tactics, target accuracy, and combat shooting. He downloaded material covering close-range combat, land navigation, patrolling, ambush tactics and demolition, and a search of his home turned up assault rifles along with SWAT and sniper training manuals.

From Traffic Stop to Terror Charge

The case dates to Dec. 12, 2025, when federal agents arrested Legnon in the Lydia community south of New Iberia after he loaded an assault rifle and body armor into his vehicle on U.S. 90. Legnon joined the New Iberia Police Department in August 2019 after an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, department officials confirmed. The department placed him on administrative leave in May 2022, and he resigned that September.

Legnon was initially booked on a single count of threatening interstate commerce, tied to a social media post referencing the 1993 Waco standoff. Tuesday’s guilty plea to the material-support conspiracy charge carries far more weight than that original count, and reflects nearly a year of additional investigation into his ties to the broader network.

A Pattern Federal Officials Are Watching in Acadiana

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said the plea reflects the seriousness of Legnon’s actions and his office’s commitment to “stopping terroristic threats in their tracks” before they can cause harm.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the New Orleans Field Office credited the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office for its role in stopping the threat, saying the bureau works with partners across the state and beyond “to keep the people of this state free from terrorist violence.”

The case falls under the nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, a White House-directed effort pairing federal, state and local agencies to target political violence while protecting First Amendment rights. The Joint Task Force Vanguard leads that initiative.

What Happens Next

Legnon faces sentencing Dec. 11 in Louisiana’s Western District. The FBI investigated the case, tracked under case number 6:26-CR-00198, with assistance from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. Keller and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Nickel are prosecuting it.

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