NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on June 9, 2023, JONATHAN GONZALEZ, age 24, ANTHONY ROMAN, age 24, DARNELL MELTON, age 26, SAUL REED, age 32, MARK WILLIAMS, age 22, RONALD JOHNSON, age 25, KEVIN TYLER, III, age 25, and DERRICK BRUMFIELD, age 22, all residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were indicted in a 15-count second superseding indictment, that was unsealed on November 3, 2023.
GONZALEZ, ROMAN, MELTON, WILLIAMS, JOHNSON, TYLER, III, and BRUMFIELD are charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A)-(D), 841(b)(2), and Section 846. The maximum penalties for this count vary as to each defendant. GONZALEZ, WILLIAMS, and MELTON face a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. ROMAN and JOHNSON face a minimum of five years up to 40 years in prison, a maximum $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release. TYLER, III faces a minimum of 10 years up to life in prison, a maximum $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.
The same defendants, with the exception of MELTON, are charged in Count 2 with conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o). The maximum penalties for this count are 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
GONZALEZ, ROMAN, WILLIAMS, JOHNSON, TYLER, III, and REED are variously charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A)-(D), and 841(b)(2) in Counts 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12. GONZALEZ, WILLIAMS, and REED face a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. ROMAN, JOHNSON, and TYLER, III face a minimum of five years up to 40 years in prison, a maximum $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release.
MELTON, REED, and JOHNSON are charged with being felons in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8) in Counts 7, 9, and 15, respectively. The maximum penalties for each of these counts is 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
GONZALEZ, ROMAN, WILLIAMS, JOHNSON, and TYLER, III are variously charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c) in Counts 4, 11, and 13. Each of these counts carries a minimum of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.
ROMAN, JOHNSON, and TYLER, III are charged in Count 14, with using and maintaining a drug premises, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 856(a)(1). The maximum penalties for this court are 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
GONZALEZ and ROMAN are charged in Count 5, with possessing a vehicle stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659. The maximum penalties for this count are 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
Each individual count also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the superseding indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.