Louisiana Felon Sentenced to More than 9 Years After Police Locate Him and Other Felons in Possession of Firearms and Drugs

A Louisiana felon has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison after police located him and other felons in possession of firearms and drugs.

New Orleans, Louisiana – On Thursday, February 16, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced Jacob Banks, age 32, of New Orleans, Louisiana on February 15, to 111 months (9 years, 3 months) in the Bureau of Prisons for violating the Federal Gun Control Act and the Federal Controlled Substances Act.

According to court filings, Banks was convicted of being a felon in possession in another federal case in 2019 and sentenced accordingly. Only two weeks after completing that sentence, authorities discovered Banks with a gun during a memorial ceremony for a deceased drug dealer.
The police were unable to apprehend Banks at the time, but a few weeks later discovered Banks and several other felons in possession of firearms. Banks acknowledged to having a Springfield Arms .45 caliber pistol after being convicted of many felony counts. Banks also acknowledged having crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it, as well as having the weapon in support of his drug trafficking activities.

Banks was sentenced to 111 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release by Judge Africk. He was also forced to pay a $300 special assessment fee.

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

The New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.