South Carolina Man Faces up to 15 Years After Pleading Guilty in a Federal Court in Louisiana to Carjacking Charges

A South Carolina man now faces up to fifteen years in prison after pleading guilty in a federal court in Louisiana to carjacking charges.

New Orleans, Louisiana – On Thursday, February 16, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on February 14, 2023, defendant William Nelson, age 21, a resident of South Carolina, pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey to committing a carjacking in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 2, 2022.

Nelson is charged with carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119 in Count 1 of the indictment. Nelson faces a potential term of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, supervised release for up to three years, and a mandatory special assessment charge of $100.00. Nelson's sentencing date is set for May 16, 2023.

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 work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department was lauded by U.S. Attorney Evans. Assistant US Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit is prosecuting the case.