Tangipahoa Parish Man Guilty of Paycheck Protection Program Fraud, Drug Trafficking, and Money Laundering Conspiracy

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, DEQUARIUS HAMLER (“HAMLER”), age 38, of Tangipahoa Parish, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry on August 19, 2025, to all six (6) counts of the superseding indictment pending against him. Judge Guidry scheduled sentencing for December 9, 2025.

Count 1 charged HAMLER with Conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, over 500 grams of cocaine and a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), § 841(b)(1)(B), § 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. At sentencing, HAMLER faces up to forty (40) years imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four (4) years of supervised release.

Counts 2 and 4 both charged distribution of a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and § 841(b)(1)(C). At sentencing, HAMLER faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three (3) years of supervised release. Count 3 charged him with distribution of 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and § 841(b)(1)(A). The penalty HAMLER may receive as to Count 3 is a mandatory minimum ten (10) years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five (5) years of supervised release.

Count 5 charged HAMLER with making false statements to the Small Business Administration, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. §1001. At sentencing, HAMLER faces up to five (5) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and at least three (3) years of supervised release. Finally, Count 6 charged him with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. §1956(h). At sentencing, HAMLER faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $500,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release. As to each count, he also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court documents, in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration began a drug trafficking investigation into HAMLER. On three separate occasions in 2023, HAMLER sold a quantity of cocaine and over 50 grams of methamphetamine to an individual he thought was a legitimate buyer. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement officials began to suspect HAMLER was having his girlfriend, Latijeria Martin, deposit his illegal drug trafficking proceeds into a local bank to launder this drug money as legitimate funds. Bank records and financial documents showed that between January 1, 2021, and September 9, 2023, Martin and HAMLER made numerous cash deposits totaling $454,589.10 through seven different bank accounts. Martin’s deposits to and from bank accounts operating under her name totaled $328,159.10 while deposits to and from back accounts operating under HAMLER’S name totaled $126,430. Martin made these bank deposits and withdrawals at the direction of HAMLER. Martin knew HAMLER to be a drug dealer and that his drug dealing was the source of these funds. Employees at the banks confirmed Martin visited the bank numerous times, sometimes multiple times a day, to make cash deposits and withdrawals. Oftentimes, the cash Martin deposited had the strong odor of marijuana. One bank employee informed Martin that these the deposit and withdrawal actions amounted to criminal structuring and the bank would no longer allow Martin to make these deposits. Martin was also advised by another bank, that her actions amounted to money laundering. Despite this warning and notice of their actions being criminal, HAMLER continued to instruct Martin to continue laundering his drug proceeds through their bank accounts. The amount of cash that Martin and HAMLER deposited and withdrew greatly exceeded any legitimate income that they reported on their tax returns. Martin made these cash deposits and withdrawals to conceal and disguise their true nature as proceeds of HAMLER’S illegal drug distribution.

When a search warrant was executed on HAMLER’S residence, large amounts of illegal narcotics and financial documents were located. HAMLER also confessed to distributing kilogram amounts of cocaine and marijuana over the past decade.

A review of HAMLER’S bank records revealed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, HAMLER submitted fraudulent IRS records to the Small Business Administration in an attempt to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Through these fraudulent documents, HAMLER ultimately obtained over $19,000 for a small business he claimed to operate but in fact did not exist. HAMLER simply shared this money with Martin, without using any of the it for business expenses.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.