Press Releases
ARMED ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT
November 28, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MICHAEL DECLOUET, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty before U. S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr., to four (4) federal felonies involving Hobbs Act armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and carjacking, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten today.
The first and second counts carry a maximum statutory penalty of twenty (20) years incarceration; the third count carries a maximum statutory penalty of ten (10) years incarceration; and the fourth count carries a maximum statutory penalty of fifteen (15) years imprisonment. DECLOUET was originally indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on May 25, 2007.
According to court documents, on August 28, 2006, brandishing firearms, DECLOUET, along with two co-conspirators, robbed the Studio 440 located on Central Avenue in Jefferson, Louisiana, on August 28, 2006. During the robbery, DECLOUET was in possession of a firearm and as a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm. DECLOUET was previously convicted on October 21, 2002 for carjacking, and on August 27, 1999 for burglary of an inhabited dwelling in New Orleans, Louisiana. During the robbery, DECLOUET and his co-conspirators demanded the keys to a vehicle parked in front of the business, which they loaded with the stolen items. One of the co-conspirators left in the stolen vehicle.
Court records also indicate that DECLOUET, along with other individuals, while armed, robbed numerous businesses within the New Orleans Metropolitan Area during the summer and fall of 2006, including many auto parts stores and bars. Co-conspirators Omar Pierre and Gary Woods pled guilty earlier in the year to similar charges.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Officers of the New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Privitera of the Violent Crime Unit.
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