New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug and Firearm Violations

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DONELL LEBANKS ("LEBANKS"), a/k/a "Shorty," age 39, of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry to 170 months incarceration, five (5) years of supervised release, and payment of a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 through 4 of a superseding bill of information.

Count 1 charged LEBANKS with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) and, 846. Count 2 charged LEBANKS with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D). Count 3 charged LEBANKS with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count 4 charged LEBANKS with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

According to court records, during 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") New Orleans Gang Task Force ("NOGTF") investigated suspected drug sales on Touro Street, in New Orleans. Using surveillance, FBI agents observed LEBANKS conducting possible hand-to-hand drug sales. To confirm such drug sales, NOGTF agents made controlled purchases of fentanyl from LEBANKS. On October 25, 2022, NOGTF obtained a search warrant for a residence as well as for LEBANKS' vehicle. NOGTF members executed the search warrants and detained LEBANKS and detained him so they could effectuate the search warrant. Inside the vehicle, agents recovered a nine-millimeter Glock handgun, with an extended magazine, tucked between the driver's seat and the center console. Additionally, agents recovered 180.7 grams of marijuana from the front passenger side of the vehicle.

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 track 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.