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Press Release

New Orleans Man Sentenced For Federal Gun and Drug Convictions

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA- SAUL REED, age 32, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 2, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to 48 months imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).

According to court documents, on March 28, 2023, REED was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) at a residence in New Orleans East. Inside the residence, NOPD recovered a backpack containing distributable quantities of tapentadol and marijuana, a digital scale, latex gloves, and a black ski mask, that belonged to REED. Two months later, REED was pulled over by a Louisiana State Police Trooper. He had another backpack in his car containing a distributable quantity of marijuana and a loaded Sig Sauer firearm.  REED has prior convictions for burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

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.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

Contact

Shane M. Jones

Public Information Officer

United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

United States Department of Justice

Updated April 9, 2024

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods