New Orleans Man Sentenced to Over Nine Years for Violating the Federal Gun Control and The Federal Controlled Substances Acts

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced JACOB BANKS, age 32, of New Orleans, yesterday to 111 months in the Bureau of Prisons for violating the Federal Gun Control Act and the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. 

According to the court documents, BANKS was convicted in another federal case of being a felon in possession back in 2019 and sentenced accordingly. Only two weeks after completing that sentence, police observed BANKS in possession of a firearm during a repast for a murdered drug dealer.  The police were not able to arrest BANKS then but a few weeks later found BANKS and several other men who were also felons in possession of firearms.  BANKS admitted he possessed a Springfield Arms .45 caliber pistol after he had already been convicted of several felony offenses.  BANKS also admitted to possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activity.

Judge Africk sentenced BANKS to 111 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release.  He was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $300.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these 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 the results.

This case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crimes Unit.

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