Louisiana Man Charged with Armed Bank Robbery, Firearms Charges, and Drug Crimes, and Faces Up to 72 Years if Convicted

New Orleans, Louisiana – On September 15, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Devin Chaney, age 32, was charged in an eleven-count superseding indictment by a federal grand jury on Friday, September 9, 2022.

According to the superseding indictment, Chaney is charged with four counts of Hobbs Act Robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a). If convicted of the Hobbs Act Robbery violations, Chaney faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, a period of five years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00 for each count. Chaney is also charged with five counts of Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(a)(ii).

Chaney faces a mandatory consecutive sentence of 7 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to 5 years supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment charge for each count if convicted of Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.

Chaney is also charged with armed bank robbery on December 24, 2021, at the Capital One Bank in New Orleans. Chaney risks a potential sentence of 25 years in jail, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years supervised release following imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment charge if convicted of bank robbery. Chaney is also charged with possessing cocaine hydrochloride with intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1) (C). If convicted, Chaney faces a potential sentence of 20 years in jail, a $1,000,000 fine, at least three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 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.

U. S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the superseding indictment contains merely charges and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.