JAMAL SMITH, age 34, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to 131 months incarceration for violations of the Federal Gun Control and Controlled Substances Acts. Judge Barbier ordered that SMITH be placed on supervised release for three (3) years following his release from imprisonment. SMITH was also ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee for each count.
SMITH previously pled guilty pursuant to a plea agreement to Counts 1, 3, 5 and 6 of the indictment. Count 1 charged SMITH with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D), for which he received 60 months imprisonment. Counts 3 and 6 charged SMITH with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), for which he received 71 months imprisonment. The sentences for Counts 1, 5 and 6 are to run concurrently with each other. Count 5 charged SMITH with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), for which he received 60 months imprisonment. The sentence for Count 5 must run consecutively to the sentences for Counts 1, 3 and 6. Therefore, SMITH was sentenced to a total of 131 months imprisonment.
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 New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Elizabeth Privitera, Unit Chief and Assistant United States Attorneys Inga Petrovich and David Haller, all of the Violent Crime Unit.
Original source can be found here.