Three New Orleans Men Plead Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug Offenses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 19, 2023, TERRAN WILLIAMS, a/k/a “Funky,” age 25, ALLEN GRAY, a/k/a “Kyedi,” age 26, and KERRY BROOKS, age 36, all residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a twelve-count indictment charging violations of the Federal Gun Control and the Federal Controlled Substances Acts, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.   

According to court records, WILLIAMS, GRAY, and BROOKS were charged with twelve separate counts related to four different events in which they were caught by police with guns and drugs.  WILLIAMS and GRAY were charged in Counts 1, 2, and 3 with possession of marijuana and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being felons in possession of firearms.  Those three counts related to a August 26, 2020 car chase in which the defendants wrecked a Nissan Maxima during flight from police and then escaped on foot.  They left guns, drugs, and their phones with attached identification documents in the wrecked vehicle.  The FBI obtained warrants for WILLIAMS and GRAY.

When the FBI arrested WILLIAMS on the outstanding warrant on September 12, 2020, he had a rifle, a pistol, and a large amount of marijuana.   WILLIAMS was subsequently charged with Counts 4, 5, and 6, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of firearms. 

Two days after WILLIAMS’s arrest, the FBI found GRAY and BROOKS in a New Orleans hotel room in possession of a large quantity of marijuana, over 40 grams of fentanyl bagged for distribution, over $4,000 in cash and two handguns with extended magazines.  GRAY and BROOKS were ultimately charged in Counts 7, 8 and 9, with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and fentanyl, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being felons in possession of firearms.  The FBI later arrested BROOKS at an apartment just outside of New Orleans.  During a search of the premises, agents found approximately $20,000 in cash, a digital scale with powder, a small bag of fentanyl, and another pistol with an extended magazine.  As a result, BROOKS was charged in Counts 10, 11 and 12, with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

WILLIAMS pled guilty to Counts 1-6, GRAY pled guilty to Counts 1-3 and 7-9 and   BROOKS pled guilty to Counts 7-12. 

For Count 1, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), WILLIAMS and GRAY face a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release.

For Count 2, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), WILLIAMS and GRAY face a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.

For Count 3, being felons in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), WILLIAMS and GRAY face a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release

For Count 4, possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D), WILLIAMS faces a penalty of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and at least two years of supervised release.

For Count 5, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A)(i), WILLIAMS faces a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.

For Count 6, being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), WILLIAMS faces a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. 

For Count 7, GRAY and BROOKS, who are charged with possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), face a penalty of at least 5 years up to 40 years, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least four years of supervised release.

For Count 8, GRAY and BROOKS, who are charged with possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A)(i), face a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.

For Count 9, GRAY and BROOKS, who are charged with being felons in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), face a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

For Count 10, BROOKS, who is charged with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), faces a penalty of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release. 

For Count 11, BROOKS, who is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A)(i), faces a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.

For Count 12, BROOKS, who is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), faces a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

As to each count with which WILLIAMS, GRAY, and BROOKS are charged, each faces payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Haller and Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit, and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit.