New Orleans Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Drug and Firearm Violations

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – COREY BESSIE (“BESSIE”), age 31, a resident of  Orleans Parish, was sentenced on June 11, 2024 to 90 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee.  BESSIE had previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), and possession with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and (D).

According to court documents, on December 24,2021, BESSIE, and two passengers, were driving in a Silver Honda Accord on the Westbank Expressway when another car pulled along-side them and opened fire.  One of the passengers and BESSIE were hit several times.  All three individuals wound up at the hospital and the two were treated for their injuries.  Law enforcement from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office located and impounded the bullet-riddled Honda Accord from the hospital parking lot.  They obtained a search warrant for the Honda Accord and located and seized 5.81 grams of marijuana from the center console, a Arex Delta 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun from the glove box (loaded with 14 rounds), one spare Arex magazine loaded with 14 rounds from the front passenger door, one Glock Model l9X 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun (loaded with 31 rounds ), one Glock 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun (loaded with 23 rounds ), one plastic baggy containing 21.92 grams of  Fentanyl, one baggy with 13 aluminum foils of Fentanyl, one digital scale that was located in the trunk, and documents showing that one of the passengers was the owner of the Honda and that BESSIE was a frequent user of that vehicle.  Deputies also recovered approximately $1,300 in cash.  At the time of this incident, BESSIE was a convicted felon, and thus, prohibited from possessing a firearm.

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.         

This case was investigated by the  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.