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Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms and Drug Charges Related to a Shootout at a Hotel

Published January 11, 2022

Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on January 10, 2022, that Blake Batiste, age 19, from New Orleans, pled guilty on January 5, 2022, to various firearm and drug charges. His guilty plea stems from his participation in a December 28, 2020, shootout on the 15th floor of the Jung Hotel on Canal Street.

A federal Grand Jury issued similar indictments earlier this year, charging a total of nine people with violations of the Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances Acts. Batiste pleaded guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 4 of the upcoming Superseding Indictment.

Count 1 charges Batiste with attempting to commit a Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1951 and 2. Count 2 charges Batiste with participating in a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute quantities of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(D), and 846. Count 4 charges Batiste with participating in a conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).

Counts 1 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years supervised release. Count 2 carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and at least 2 years supervised release. Counts 4 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and up to 3 years supervised release. The defendant must pay a total of $300 in mandatory special assessment fees.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, which is a cooperative federal, state, and local initiative to reduce violent crime. PSN is a research-based initiative that has been shown to reduce violent crime. PSN brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to identify the community’s most critical violent crime issues and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN implements this strategy by concentrating enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and collaborating with locally-based prevention and reentry initiatives to achieve long-term crime reductions.

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