Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 25, 2022, MERVIN BAILEY, age 20, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to a three-count superseding bill of information. The charges include Count 1, carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1); Count 2, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924 (c)(1)(A)(ii); and Count 3, attempted carjacking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1).

According to court documents, Counts 1 and 2 arose from the carjacking of a BMW X7 SUV in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 3, 2021. As the victim was pulling out of her driveway, BAILEY jumped out of a white truck while brandishing a firearm. He forced the victim out of her car, demanding her keys and drove off in her vehicle. The victim immediately flagged down a pedestrian and used their cell phone to call the New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”). BAILEY initially evaded NOPD on a high-speed chase, but officers later located the abandoned SUV and the K-9 unit found him hiding nearby. A black CZ-PF10F 9mm Luger handgun with an obliterated serial number was found in the area and personal property belonging to the victim was found on BAILEY.

Court documents also reveal BAILEY committed an attempted carjacking on October 4, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In that instance, BAILEY used a cellular phone to request a ride on the Lyft ride-sharing application. When the victim arrived in her Kia Optima, BAILEY and an accomplice attempted to carjack the vehicle while brandishing a firearm.

The maximum penalty BAILEY faces for Counts 1 and 3 is up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee, as to each count. The maximum penalty he faces for Count 2 is a mandatory minimum of 7 years imprisonment up to a maximum of life, to run consecutive to all other sentences, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to five years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

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 New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss is in charge of the prosecution.