Clarence R. Singleton Gets 20 Years for Home Invasion Heists

Clarence R. Singleton, 30, of New Orleans, is headed to federal prison for 20 years after orchestrating a string of violent home invasion robberies targeting drug dealers across the city. The sentence, handed down today by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, marks the end of a brutal spree fueled by greed, guns, and the city’s underground drug trade.

SINGLETON pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. He now faces 240 months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, plus a $200 special assessment. The charges stem from a coordinated campaign to rip off drug dealers in their own homes—stealing cash, narcotics, and weapons under threat of violence.

According to federal court documents, SINGLETON didn’t just rob dealers—he hunted them. He and his associates identified vulnerable targets in the illicit drug market, broke into their homes, and used firearms to intimidate, assault, and steal. The goal: to either sell the stolen drugs on the street or pocket the cash from seized drug proceeds. Each robbery was a calculated act of terror masked as a profit scheme.

The crimes fall under the Hobbs Act, a federal statute used to prosecute robbery and extortion that affects interstate commerce—often applied in violent drug-related heists. By using firearms during these invasions, SINGLETON triggered mandatory minimum sentences, stacking decades onto his exposure. Federal prosecutors made it clear: using a gun to fuel a drug operation invites maximum penalties.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite, who oversaw the case out of the Eastern District of Louisiana, credited the relentless work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department’s Multi-Agency Gang Unit. Their joint investigation dismantled the network behind the home invasions, pulling threads that led straight to SINGLETON’s doorstep.

Assistant United States Attorneys Michael M. Simpson and Michael E. McMahon led the prosecution. No plea deal softened the blow—SINGLETON will serve every year of his 20-year sentence. In a city too familiar with violent crime, federal authorities are sending a message: invade homes, wield firearms, traffic drugs, and the feds will come down hard.