Deborah Cooper Sentenced to 15 Years for Bar Robberies

New Orleans, LOUISIANA – Deborah Cooper, 54, a resident of New Orleans, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and five years of supervised release for her involvement in the February and March 2022 robberies of Igor’s Lounge on St. Charles Avenue. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.

According to court documents, Cooper and an unknown person robbed Igor’s Lounge twice within a month. During both incidents, they held bartenders at gunpoint and stole thousands of dollars in cash. Surveillance footage captured the pair and their getaway vehicle, a Dodge Ram pickup truck registered to Cooper. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) used this evidence to obtain a search warrant for Cooper’s residence, where they found items linking her to the crime.

In addition to the prison term and supervised release, Cooper was also ordered to pay a $700 fine and make restitution. The jury had previously found her guilty of all seven counts against her, including conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and tampering with proceedings.

The investigation into these crimes was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the NOPD. Assistant United States Attorneys Brittany Reed and Sarah Dawkins prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is an initiative that fosters trust and legitimacy within communities, supports organizations preventing violence, sets strategic enforcement priorities, and measures outcomes. More information about PSN can be found on Justice.gov/PSN.

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