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NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on June 23, 2022, QUENTRELL BERTHOLOTTE, age 29 of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced by the Honorable District Court Judge Barry W. Ashe. BERTHOLOTTE previously pleaded guilty as charged to a four-count indictment. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2) in Counts 1 and 2; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B) in Count 3; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i) in Count 4.

BERTHOLOTTE was sentenced to a total of ten years imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release. He was sentenced to 46 months for Counts 1 and 2, and 60 months for Count 3, all to run concurrently. As to Count 4, he was sentenced to 60 months to run consecutive to all other sentences. He is also required to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.

According to court documents, BERTHOLOTTE came under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) in December of 2020. On January 14, 2020, he was seen on video surveillance wielding a 5.56 caliber “ghost gun,” which does not have a serial number. During a search of his girlfriend’s apartment on April 22, 2021, investigators found over forty (40) grams of fentanyl, the “ghost gun,” a Glock 27 semi-automatic handgun, and over $30,000 in U.S. currency. BERTHOLOTTE was previously convicted of a drug trafficking offense in Orleans Parish.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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 in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.