A Louisiana Man Faces up to 45 Years After Pleading Guilty to Firearm and Drug Charges Connected to a Hotel Shootout

Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on April 5, 2022, Clarence Santiago, age 22 from New Orleans, Louisiana pled guilty to various firearm and drug charges stemming from his participation in a December 28, 2020, shootout at the Jung Hotel on Canal Street.

Earlier in 2022, a federal grand jury handed down two related indictments charging a total of seven individuals with various violations of the Federal Gun Control Act and Federal Controlled Substances Acts for participating in this shootout. Today, Santiago pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the indictment, charging him with participating in a conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count 1) pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o); using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (Count 2) pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 942(c); conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana (Count 3) pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(b)(1)(D); and, illegally maintaining a drug involved premises (Count 4) pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 856.

Santiago will be sentenced on July 12, 2022. Based on his guilty plea, he faces the following sentences:

For Count 1, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.00.

For Count 2, he faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of no more than $250,000.00. Any prison sentence imposed in connection with this count must run concurrently with any other prison sentence imposed in this case.

For Count 3, he faces up to 5 years in prison, no less than two years of supervised release, and a fine of no more than $250,000.00; and

For Count 4, he faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000.00.

Santiago is required to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 for each count of conviction.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s efforts to reduce violent crime. PSN is an evidence-based program that has been shown to reduce violent crime. PSN brings together a diverse range of stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime issues 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 collaborates with community-based prevention and reentry programs to achieve long-term crime reductions.

The New Orleans Police Department and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu and Elizabeth Privitera.