NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on November 8, 2023, JUSTIN MORGAN, age 26, a resident of Orleans Parish, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk to 97 months imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release, and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to as to three counts of a superseding indictment.
Count 1 charged MORGAN with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and (b)(1)(d). Count 2 charged MORGAN with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count 3 charged MORGAN with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, on February 10, 2022, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (“JPSO”) conducted a narcotics investigation in the Metairie Heights Apartment complex in Metairie, LA. Based on their observations, officers stopped a black Acura in which MORGAN and a co-defendant were riding. Subsequently, the JPSO obtained arrest warrants for both MORGAN and a co-defendant due to the discovery of narcotics and firearms that were located inside of MORGAN’s vehicle.
On March 25, 2022, JPSO officers arrested MORGAN and located a gun case in the trunk of his vehicle. The serial number on the gun case matched the serial number of the gun found in the rear seat of MORGAN’s vehicle on February 10, 2022. The firearm was also swabbed for DNA. The analysis concluded that MORGAN’s DNA was present on the firearm.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.