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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on April 19, 2022, defendant RICHARD JONES, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on April 10, 2022 before U.S. District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry to carjacking, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence,  burglary of a federal firearms licensee, and felon in possession of a firearm.

Specifically, RICHARD JONES pled guilty to Counts One, Two, Three, and Six of the indictment. JONES pled guilty to Count One, which charges him with a carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1). JONES also pled guilty to Count Two, which charges him with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, that is, a carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section, 924(c)(1)(A). JONES also pled guilty to Count Three, which charges him with burglary of a federal firearms licensee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(u).  Finally, JONES pled guilty to Count Six, which charges him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g) and 924(a)(2).

As to Count One, JONES faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. As to Count Two, JONES faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed, a fine of up to $250,000, up to five years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Finally, as to Counts Three and Six, JONES faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  For each count of conviction, JONES, must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee at sentencing.  JONES’s sentencing is scheduled for August 9, 2022.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. 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. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department. The case  is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit  of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.