New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun Crimes
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ERNEST GREEN, age 55, a New Orleans resident, pleaded guilty on March 13, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), and being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, in September 2020, the Federal Bureau Investigation - New Orleans Gang Task Force and the New Orleans Police Department investigated GREEN for his involvement in a drug distribution operation. The investigation involved numerous controlled purchases of cocaine from GREEN. Additionally, agents executed a search warrant at GREEN’s residence that yielded 28.7 grams of cocaine and two illegal firearms.
For the cocaine charge, GREEN faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, at least three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For the firearms charge, GREEN faces up to ten (10) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
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 U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation - New Orleans Gang Task Force, with the assistance of the New Orleans Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, led the investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Shane M. Jones
Public Information Officer
United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana
United States Department of Justice