Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CLARENCE SANTIAGO, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Greg G. Guidry to 30 years in jail for his participation in a December 28, 2020, shootout at the Jung Hotel on Canal Street, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

SANTIAGO was sentenced to Counts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the indictment, which charges him with conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count 1); using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (Count 2); conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana (Count 3); and illegally maintaining a drug involved premises (Count 4).

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 New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Unit Chief of Violent Crime Unit.