New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Gun and Drug Offenses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JUAN MATTHEWS ("MATTHEWS"), a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 16, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 3 through 5 of an indictment charging him with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and tapentadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) (Count 3); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(C)(1)(a)(i) (Count 4); and possession of a machine gun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(o) and 924(a)(2) (Count 5).

MATTHEWS was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment consisting of 12 months imprisonment as to Counts 3 and 5 to run concurrently and 60 months imprisonment as to Count 4 to run consecutively to the term imposed in Counts 3 and 5. Judge Milazzo also ordered that MATTHEWS be placed on supervised release for 4 years and pay a $300 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court documents, on May 18, 2023, members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) observed a black Audi sport utility vehicle matching a description of a vehicle used in a shooting. After the vehicle fled to the intersection of Bullard Road and Dwyer Road, in New Orleans, officers saw three black males, including MATTHEWS, abandon the SUV and flee on foot. Officers then saw MATTHEWS throw a firearm in the front yard of a nearby residence before they successfully apprehended him. Later, officers retraced MATTHEWS's flight path and located the weapon, a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine and a Glock switch. MATTHEWS had also discarded a pink backpack, containing 16 individually wrapped baggies of marijuana, blister packs containing 118 tapentadol tablets, and a scale.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.