Louisiana Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison on Multiple Charges Including Carjacking and Weapons Charges

New Orleans, Louisiana - Devin Weaver of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced to 168 months in prison for carjacking, brandishing a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence was handed down on December 14, 2022, and resulted from a two-day trial that ended in Weaver's conviction on all counts. The investigation into Weaver's crimes was conducted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence in communities.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on Monday, December 19, 2022, that defendant Devin Weaver of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced to a total of 168 months by U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk on December 14, 2022. The court sentenced Weaver to 84 months in prison for Counts 1 and 3, to be served concurrently. Weaver was sentenced to 84 months for Count 2, to be served consecutively with the terms imposed for Counts 1 and 3. In addition, upon Weaver's release from prison, Judge Africk imposed a concurrent 3-year sentence of supervised release for each of Counts 1, 2, and 3, to run concurrently. Weaver was then sentenced to pay $300 in special assessment costs for Counts One, Two, and Three of the three-count superseding indictment.

Count One of the superseding indictments charged Weaver with a carjacking that occurred on August 21, 2019, in violation of Sections 2119(1) and 2 of Title 18, United States Code. Count Two accused him of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, a carjacking, in violation of Section 924(c)(1)(A) of Title 18, United States Code (ii). In violation of Title 18, United States Code Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 2, Count Three accused him of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The jury convicted Weaver guilty on all counts following a two-day trial.

Weaver was found guilty of a carjacking that occurred on August 21, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana. During the carjacking, as described at trial, Weaver and his co-defendant approached the victim, pointed a gun at her, and demanded her vehicle. The New Orleans Police Department responded to the incident and was able to locate the victim's vehicle using her iPhone, which was stolen along with the vehicle. 30 minutes after the carjacking, the vehicle was halted at a gas station on the Westbank Expressway by investigators. The stolen vehicle contained Weaver's co-defendant, the victim's iPhone, and a weapon. An examination of the station's video footage revealed that Weaver was inside the store when police arrived. Weaver fled the store on foot upon sighting police vehicles. Several hours later, investigators tracked the second iPhone of the victim to Weaver's home in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This investigation is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve in an effort to minimize violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department launched a strategy to reduce violent crime and 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 from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.

U.S. Attorney Evans commended the efforts of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Bureau, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit and Assistant United States Attorney Greg Kennedy of the U.S. Attorney's Office are prosecuting the case.