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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that REYNAUD KENDRELL VARISTE (“VARISTE”), age 32, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced to 81 months imprisonment and a $200.00 mandatory special assessment fee after pleading guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A) and possession with intent to distribute heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Upon release from imprisonment, VARISTE will be placed on supervised release for 3 years.

On July 12, 2018, VARISTE was charged in a three-count indictment by a federal grand jury with possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, using a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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 Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn M. McHugh prosecuted the case.