Tim Jackson, the alleged leader of the Byrd Gang, is headed to federal prison for three decades after cutting a plea deal in the middle of his racketeering trial. Prosecutors said Jackson, known in court papers as "T‑Maf" or "Maf," helped drive a wave of murders, shootings and daily drug dealing that rattled New Orleans neighborhoods. He agreed to the 30-year sentence while the jury was still hearing evidence, trading the gamble of a possible life term for a guaranteed 360 months behind bars.
Jackson, 37, was sentenced to 360 months in prison on February 25, 2026, and will also serve five years of supervised release and pay a $300 mandatory assessment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana. His guilty plea came after four days of testimony in front of a jury, when he accepted the 30-year deal rather than continue to face a potential life sentence, prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo handed down the sentence.
Byrd Gang's footprint in the city
Federal prosecutors describe the Byrd Gang, also referenced as M3RE, MagFischer, 315 and Piff Gang, as a Westbank-linked crew that operated largely out of the former Magnolia housing development. According to the government, the group ran street-level heroin, fentanyl, crack and marijuana sales and backed that trade with guns and retaliatory shootings that sometimes spilled onto busy corridors such as Magazine Street. Local coverage reported that those claims were grounded in trial evidence and court filings, as outlined by WWLTV.
Evidence and alleged killings
Federal court documents list roughly 50 overt acts that prosecutors tied to the RICO conspiracy, a grab bag of drug deals, weapons possession and violent attacks, according to federal court filings. Those records allege that Byrd Gang members or co-defendants were involved in the July 18, 2016 killing of Kent Franklin and that Jackson directed the September 3, 2016 shooting that killed Javon Johnigan, among other incidents. At trial, prosecutors leaned on cooperating witnesses, police searches and intercepted communications to tie those acts to the broader criminal enterprise.
Legal notes
Jackson pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and a firearms conspiracy, and will also face five years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana said. Several of his co-defendants, including Terran Williams, Tyrone Bovia and Javonta Doleman, were convicted after a 2025 trial and now face mandatory life sentences on murder counts tied to the same scheme, according to prosecutors. U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle publicly praised the FBI and the New Orleans Police Department for their work on the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Privitera and Sarah Dawkins led the prosecution in court.
What happens next
Federal officials said the gunplay linked to the Byrd Gang fueled cycles of retaliation that at times swept up innocent bystanders, a pattern they said was amplified by social-media posts, rap music and videos, according to local reporting. Jackson's sentence removes one alleged organizer from the streets, but prosecutors and community partners say the work is not over, with related investigations and prosecutions still underway under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, as reported by WWLTV.
