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NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that STERLING ROBINSON, also known as “Scooter,” age 31, a resident of New Orleans , was sentenced to  twenty years imprisonment on Thursday, July 21, 2022. Ten years of the sentence was for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), to be run consecutive to another ten years imprisonment for obstruction of justice in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(c)(2).  ROBINSON is also required to pay a total of $200 in mandatory special assessment fees.

ROBINSON was convicted after a federal jury trial. Testimony and evidence at trial proved that he possessed a firearm and ammunition on March 13, 2020 when he fired five rounds at a vehicle his girlfriend was driving with her young son in the backseat. He then obstructed justice on recorded phone calls from jail where he tried to influence the victim, his girlfriend,  to change her story and tell authorities someone else shot at her.

According to court records, ROBINSON was previously convicted of a federal felony charge for being in possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. At the time of  the current offense, ROBINSON was still on supervised release with U.S. Probation after having served a five-year sentence for that previous conviction.

ROBINSON faced up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a maximum fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. For obstruction of justice, he faced up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a maximum fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

The Honorable U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon presided over the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sherriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. and Charles D. Strauss prosecuted the case.