New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RONALD JACOBS, age 38, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today before the Honorable Jay C. Zainey to an indictment charging him with violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the court records, Jacobs was arrested after concerned citizens reported his vehicle stopped in a travel lane on Williams Boulevard in Kenner. Kenner Police responded and found Jacobs asleep in the vehicle with what appeared to be drugs in his lap. When the officers made contact with Jacobs , he attempted to flee by ramming his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles and was reaching for an area in his truck where the officers later found a pistol. In addition to the loaded gun, officers also located 14 grams of crack, a digital scale, a razor blade, and about $1,100. Jacobs admitted that he possessed the crack for distribution.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 2, 2021. On the possession of crack with the intent to distribute charge, Jacobs faces a term of imprisonment of up to twenty years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release. On the related gun charge, Jacobs faces a term of imprisonment of at least five years up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment on the drug charge, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. There is also a mandatory special assessment of $100 per count.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Kenner Police Department and Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.
