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NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that HAROLD FOSTER, age 31, and MARC DALTON, age 31, of New Orleans, Louisiana were found guilty as charged on November 8, 2022 after a two-day jury trial before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey. The defendants were facing two counts of carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1) and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).

Testimony at trial established that FOSTER and DALTON carjacked the driver of a white Chevrolet Equinox on April 10, 2020 at the Eastside Cash and Carry convenient store on Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans. The defendants held the victim at gunpoint with a revolver in furtherance of the offense. They then forced him into his car, kidnapping him for a short time before leaving him on the side of the road.

The evidence at trial also showed that on  April 12, 2020, FOSTER and DALTON were caught  immediately after a second carjacking. The two victims were sitting in a Mercedes C300 on St. Peter Street in New Orleans when the defendants held them at gunpoint with a semi-automatic Taurus handgun. Like the previous offense, the defendants kidnapped the two victims and dropped them off on the side of the road after a period of time. The New Orleans Police Department located the defendants in the stolen Mercedes immediately after the carjacking and arrested them after a high-speed pursuit on Downman Road.

For each count of carjacking, FOSTER and DALTON face a maximum of 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.  For brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of seven years imprisonment for each count, which must run consecutive to all other counts; the maximum sentence for each of those counts is life imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, up to five years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New Orleans Police Department, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Charles D. Strauss, David E. Haller, and J. Benjamin Myers are in charge of the prosecution.