NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that KENDALL CELESTINE, age 21, of New Orleans, was sentenced Thursday, May 16, 2019 for federal firearms and narcotics violations.
According to court documents, CELESTINE, conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin. Additionally, on Jan. 24, 2018, CELESTINE possessed an AK-47-style pistol in furtherance of the heroin trafficking conspiracy.
U.S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced CELESTINE to sixty (60) months for Count 1 of the 7th Superseding Indictment and sixty (60) months for Count 16 of the 7th Superseding Indictment, to be served consecutively for a total term of imprisonment of one hundred twenty (120) months. Upon release, CELESTINE, will serve a term of four (4) years of supervised release and must pay a $200.00 assessment fee.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
U. S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department Multi-Agency Gang Unit, and the Drug Enforcement Administration in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria M. Carboni and Matthew R. Payne.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
