Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.
Help support the publication of case reports on MoreLaw
Date: 12-13-2024
Case Style:
United States of America v. James Wallace
Case Number:
Judge: Jane Triche Milazzo
Court: The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Plaintiff's Attorney: The States United Attorney’s Office for New Orleans
Defendant's Attorney: Click Here For The Best New Orleans, Louisiana Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
font >
Description: New Orleans, Louisiana criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Six Federal Drug and Gun Crimes
Jefferson Parish Man Sentenced for Six Federal Drug and Gun Crimes
JAMES WALLACE (“WALLACE”), age 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to 88 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $600 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), (b)(1)(D), and 846; two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of distribution of controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and (b)(1)(D); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, on June 22, 2021, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) detectives were conducting surveillance in an area north of Airline Highway in Metairie, a frequent site of drug trafficking and firearms offenses. JPSO detectives observed WALLACE carrying a Glock Model 17 handgun equipped with a micro conversion kit, which places the handgun within a rifle-style platform. WALLACE is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior state drug trafficking offense.
On October 13, 2021, WALLACE led a Louisiana State Police trooper on a dangerous car chase and, while evading law enforcement, threw several blister packs of tapentadol out of the window.
Only months later, in January of 2022, special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) observed WALLACE back in the same area of Metairie where he was previously observed. On January 4th, ATF special agents observed WALLACE holding two handguns and carrying an orange backpack. Two days later, on January 6th, ATF special agents observed WALLACE carrying the same orange backpack and conducting hand-to-hand drug transactions with a handgun in his waistband. WALLACE handed the backpack, that contained fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, and tapentadol, to a co-conspirator who was arrested later that day. Despite the arrests of several of his co-conspirators, WALLACE continued to deal drugs in that same area and, on January 25th, he sold cocaine base to a confidential informant for the ATF.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Outcome:
Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 88 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $600 mandatory special assessment fee
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: