New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking and Hobbs Act Robbery

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TRAYVON MURPHY, of New Orleans, pled guilty on October 5, 2023 to various violations of the Federal Gun Control Act, the Federal Controlled Substances Act and Hobbs Act Robbery before United States District  Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.

MURPHY plead guilty as charged to Counts 1, 2, 10, and 11 of a superseding indictment.  Count 1 charges MURPHY with  conspiracy to possess, use, carry and brandish firearms in furtherance of and during and in relation to a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).  Count 2 charges MURPHY with  conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and 846.  Count 10 charges MURPHY with  conspiracy to interfere with commerce through robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951.  Count 11 charges MURPHY with participating in a Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951.

As to Count 1, MURPHY faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, and up to three years of supervised release.  As to Count 2, MURPHY faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $1,000,000, and at least four years of supervised release.  As to Counts 10 and 11, MURPHY faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, and up to three years of supervised release.  As to each count, MURPHY also faces payment of  a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.  His sentencing is scheduled for January 10, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.

According to court records, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation  investigated a group responsible for committing various violent crimes and illegal drug trafficking, primarily in New Orleans East and the Ninth Ward.  MURPHY, along with nine others, were developed as targets, and ultimately indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021, for their involvement in conspiracies to possess firearms, traffic drugs and commit armed robberies of other drug dealers.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit.