New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug and Weapons Violations
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On June 22, 2023, BRIAN TARDY, age 31, a resident of Orleans Parish, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 106 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to a three-count superseding bill of information, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
Count One charged TARDY with possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and (b)(1)(D). Count Two charged TARDY with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1). Count Three charged TARDY with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, on July 8, 2021, NOPD was conducting proactive surveillance in New Orleans East. While doing so, officers witnessed TARDY exit and re-enter a vehicle with an assault rifle. Upon discovering that the vehicle was uninsured, NOPD conducted a traffic stop and saw marijuana in plain view and detected strong smell of same. After arresting TARDY, officers discovered additional marijuana on his person and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. During the execution of the warrant, officers located the same assault rifle TARDY was seen with, along with other controlled substances.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.
