U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Richard Carr, a 29-year-old resident of Orleans Parish, pled guilty on February 4, 2025, to charges related to carjacking and weapons violations in New Orleans. The incident occurred on January 12, 2023.

Carr admitted guilt to carjacking under Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1), brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence as per Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii), and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Court documents indicate that on the day of the incident, New Orleans Police Department officers responded to an armed robbery/carjacking call on Conti Street. The victim reported meeting Carr earlier that day and driving with him around the city before Carr brandished a firearm and demanded his cell phone and car keys for his silver Toyota CHR.

The following day, police located the stolen vehicle without its license plate at a gas station on Franklin Avenue. Officers found Carr asleep in the front seat with a Glock Model 43 pistol on his lap. Due to a prior felony conviction, Carr was prohibited from possessing firearms.

For the carjacking and felon-in-possession charges, Carr faces up to 15 years in prison, fines up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. For brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years up to life imprisonment, fines up to $250,000, five years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment fee.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime by fostering trust within communities and supporting violence prevention organizations. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Kennedy from the Violent Crime Unit is prosecuting the case.