Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Two Carjacking Offenses, Faces up to 22 Years in Prison

Louisiana – On November 22, 2022, United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 25, 2022, Mervin Bailey, age 20, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to a three-count superseding bill of information. The charges include Count 1, carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1); Count 2, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924 (c)(1)(A)(ii); and Count 3, attempted carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1).

Counts 1 and 2 stem from the June 3, 2021 carjacking of a BMW X7 SUV in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to court filings. Bailey came out of a white truck when the victim was backing out of her driveway, brandishing a weapon. He pushed the woman out of her car, demanded her keys, and then drove away in her automobile. The victim quickly waved down a passing pedestrian and dialed the New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”). Bailey eluded NOPD on a high-speed chase at first, but officers eventually discovered the abandoned SUV and the K-9 unit discovered him hiding nearby. A black CZ-PF10F 9mm Luger handgun with an obliterated serial number and personal belongings belonging to the victim were discovered on Bailey.

According to court filings, Bailey attempted carjacking on October 4, 2021, in New Orleans, Louisiana. In that case, Bailey used a cell phone to seek a trip through the Lyft ride-sharing app. Bailey and an accomplice attempted to carjack the victim’s Kia Optima as she arrived in it, brandishing a pistol.

The maximum penalty for Counts 1 and 3 is up to 15 years in jail, a $250,000.00 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 obligatory special assessment charge, per count. For Count 2, the maximum penalty is a mandatory minimum of 7 years in prison up to a maximum of life in prison, to run concurrently with all other terms, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to five years of supervised release, and an obligatory $100.00 special assessment charge.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Charles D. Strauss.