Jury Convicts New Orleans Man of Carjacking and Federal Firearms Offenses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA-United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHAMPAIN POOLE, 23, of New Orleans, was found guilty by a federal jury on April 29, 2024 after a one-day trial of carjacking, brandishing a weapon during a crime of violence, and felon in possession of a firearm.

Jurors heard evidence that POOLE carjacked a car from an eighty-year-old woman at gunpoint in front of her home.  She immediately reported the crime.  He was spotted driving the car down a one-way street the wrong way within minutes by an NOPD marked unit.  POOLE abandoned the car but was caught on a home security video as he walked away.  He ran from the scene and went to the home of a nearby relative.  NOPD officers, who established a perimeter, observed POOLE outside the relative’s home but he again fled.  He then attempted to hide the gun used in the carjacking in the crawl space of a nearby house.  The owner of that home notified police that the attempt was caught on his home security camera.  NOPD officers retrieved the security video and recovered the gun, a Smith & Wesson Model M&P 40 Shield, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, which was fully loaded with one bullet in the chamber.  POOLE had previously been convicted of two felony offenses, including illegal use of a weapon, and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

United States Attorney Duane A Evans praised the work of the NOPD in this matter as the evidence revealed that their investigation identified the perpetrator within 15 minutes of the offense.

POOLE faces up to 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for the carjacking offense; a minimum of seven years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutive to any other sentence, a fine of up to  $250,000.00, and up to five years of supervised release for the brandishing a weapon during a crime of violence offense;  and, up to 15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for the felon in possession of a firearm offense.  Each count also requires the imposition of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

United States District Judge Jay Zainey, who presided over the trial, scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2024.  He also ordered that POOLE remain in custody.

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 New Orleans Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit and Mark A. Miller of the Narcotics Unit conducted the trial of this matter.