New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Murder, Drug, Firearm, and Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracies

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Today, JULIUS ALEXANDER, a/k/a “Juju,” a/k/a “O’Block,” a/k/a “O,” a/k/a “Baldhead,” a/k/a “topgoon,” pled guilty on November 1, 2023 before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to Counts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of a superseding bill of information charging him with murder, as well as to various violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, the Federal Gun Control Act, and Hobbs Act robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.  Sentencing is scheduled for March 20, 2024.

Count 1 charged ALEXANDER with  conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride and heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 84l(a)(l), (b)(l )(B), (b)(1)(C), and 846.  For this charge, ALEXANDER faces a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, at least four years supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. 

Count 2 charged ALEXANDER with conspiring to use firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).  For this charge, ALEXANDER faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.

Count 3  charged ALEXANDER with conspiring to commit Hobbs Act Robberies, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951.  ALEXANDER faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. 

Count 4 charged ALEXANDER with causing death through the use of a firearm, stemming from his role in a murder on January 31, 2020, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(j)(1).  ALEXANDER faces a sentence of any number of years up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to five years of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee. 

According to court  documents, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a group for committing various violent crimes and illegal drug trafficking, primarily in New Orleans East and the Ninth Ward section of New Orleans.  As a result, ALEXANDER, and nine others, were indicted for conspiring to possess firearms, traffic drugs and commit armed robberies of drug dealers.  ALEXANDER’s plea documents detail his role as a drug trafficker, ALEXANDER often possessed firearms, both as a robber of drug dealers, and as a participant in two murders, that occurred on December 2, 2019 and January 31, 2020. 

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.  Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.