New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Offenses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EMANUEL ROSS, age 24, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on September 6, 2023 before United States District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Fentanyl in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C) and Possession of a Machinegun in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(o), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

The Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Fentanyl charge carries a term of imprisonment of not more than 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least 3 years supervised release. The Possession of a Machinegun charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.  Each offense also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

Judge Lemelle ordered a pre-sentence report and scheduled sentencing for December 13, 2023.  ROSS will remain detained without bond.

Court documents reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crime Task Force and the New Orleans Police Department began an investigation of ROSS in mid-2022 and discovered an online video of him firing a pistol that had been converted into a machine gun through the use of a device known as a “switch.”  A search warrant of ROSS’s home was executed  on January 27, 2023, and law enforcement officials found cocaine, fentanyl and various weapons including the machine gun seen on the online video.

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 Violent Crimes Task Force, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Miller of the Violent Crime Unit is assigned the prosecution.