Louisiana Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for 2 Carjackings and a Firearms Violation

New Orleans, Louisiana - A Louisiana man has been sentenced to more than twelve years in prison for two carjackings and a firearms violation.

United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Mervin Bailey, age 20, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 28, 2023, for carjacking and attempted carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119 and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).

Bailey received a total sentence of 147 months in prison (12 years, 3 months). This consists of 63 months each in prison for a carjacking on June 3, 2021, outside of a residence in New Orleans, and an attempted carjacking of a Lyft driver on October 4, 2021, also in New Orleans. For brandishing a firearm during a violent act, an 84-month term was imposed. In addition, the defendant must serve three years of supervised release and pay a mandatory special assessment cost of $100.00 for each count.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together law enforcement at all levels and the communities they serve 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Strauss of the Violent Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.