Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm and Drug Trafficking Charges Stemming from New Orleans Hotel Shootout

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – BRIAN JACOB, age 23, from New Orleans, pled guilty to various firearm and drug charges stemming from his participation in a December 28, 2020, shootout at the Jung Hotel on Canal Street, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.  On May 23, 2023, JACOB pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 3 of the superseding bill of information, that charged him with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count 1); participating in a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute quantities of marijuana (Count 2); and illegally maintaining a drug involved premises (Count 3).

JACOB will be sentenced on September 19, 2023, and faces the following sentences:

For Count 1, he will face a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of life in prison, not more than 5 years of supervised release, and not more than a $250,000.00 fine, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). Any prison sentence imposed in connection with this count must be served consecutively to any other prison sentence imposed in connection with this case.

For Count 2, he will face a maximum of 5 years in prison, at least two years of supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00 pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(b)(1)(D); and

For Count 3, he will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and not more than a $500,000.00 fine, pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 856(a).

Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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.

The case was investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit are in charge of the prosecution.