New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 12, 2023, KADEEM ROMAIN, age 23, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a superseding indictment for attempted Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C § 1951(a).

The maximum penalty is up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, as well as a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

According to public records, ROMAIN, who was inside a vehicle with at least one other individual,  struck an armored car carrier as he exited a Popeyes restaurant after delivering/picking up money.  The carrier dropped a bag of money when he was struck, however before anyone in ROMAIN’s vehicle could exit to retrieve the bag, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, who witnessed the attack, responded to the scene. The two assailants fled in their vehicle, but it became disabled only a short distance away.  ROMAIN was finally apprehended by an NOPD detective approximately a mile from the Popeyes.

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 track 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit handled the prosecution.