NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 23, 2026, DAVID SCOTT (“SCOTT”), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, after SCOTT previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
On August 3, 2023, the New Orleans Police Department conducted surveillance at the East Side Cash and Carry gas station due to increased reports of crime at the location. Officers witnessed a man, later identified as SCOTT, wearing a black hoodie with a large bulge in his waistband. When officers approached and ordered SCOTT to exit the vehicle in which he was seated, they observed, in plain view on the driver’s side, a handgun with a drum magazine containing 23 live rounds. Officers secured the gun and arrested SCOTT. A search incident to arrest revealed 15 packs of Tapentadol, totaling 148 pills, and $1,315 in U.S. currency.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.
