NEW ORLEANS, LA - United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that DEVIN WEAVER, age 30, of New Orleans, was found guilty after a two-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk.
The jury found WEAVER guilty as charged as to all three counts in the Superseding Indictment. The Superseding Indictment charged WEAVER in Count 1 with carjacking, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2119(1), in Count 2 with brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii), and in Count 3 with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). He will be sentenced on Oct. 19, 2022. As to Count 1, WEAVER faces a maximum sentence of fifteen (15) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. As to Count 2, WEAVER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven (7) years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, to be run consecutive to any other sentence imposed, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to five (5) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Finally, for Count 3, WEAVER faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to witness testimony, on Aug. 21, 2019, WEAVER and a co-defendant, Tommie Mango, carjacked a woman in the 2000 block of Jackson Avenue. The defendants attempted to obscure their identity by wearing wigs and masks. The victim was ordered from her vehicle at gunpoint, punched and forced to the ground. WEAVER and Mango then left the scene in the victim’s Jeep Cherokee, which contained cell phones and other personal belongings. Through tracking the victims’ cell phones minutes after the incident, both defendants were quickly located and apprehended by law enforcement.
Mango previously pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27, 2022.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safe for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Inga Petrovich and Gregory M. Kennedy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime Unit.