Laplace Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act

 NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that RICHARD GRAY, age 60, a resident of LaPlace, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2021 to an Indictment. In Count One, GRAY pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride. In Count Six, GRAY pled guilty to knowingly and intentionally using a telephone in committing, causing, and facilitating the commission of the violation in Count One.

The Honorable District Court Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon will sentence GRAY on September 23, 2021. GRAY faces a maximum sentence of up to twenty years of imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release not less than three years, and a mandatory assessment fee of $100.00, as it relates to Counts One. For Count Six, GRAY faces a maximum sentence of four years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release up to one year, and a mandatory assessment fee of $100.00.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Bayonle Osundare is prosecuting the matter.