NEW ORLEANS - On March 8, 2023, United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced SEAN ESPRIT, age 27, of New Orleans, to serve 15 years in federal prison for violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, ESPRIT admitted to jointly possessing with the intent to distribute over a kilogram of heroin, over 400 grams of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. ESPRIT also admitted to jointly possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). The drug count carried a mandatory minimum penalty of at least 10 years, and the gun charge added an additional mandatory minimum 5 years that had to run consecutive to any other count.
ESPRIT will also have to serve 5 years on supervised release when he finishes serving his prison sentence. Judge Lemelle also ordered Esprit to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count.
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.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys