A New Orleans resident has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson on September 16, 2025. Tyree Rudolph, age 22, entered the plea for one count from a three-count indictment that charged him with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
Rudolph will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daryl J. Papillon on December 16, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive up to life imprisonment. Additional penalties include up to five years of supervised release, a fine as high as $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Court documents state that in October 2023, the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating Rudolph due to his connection with members of “M3RE,” a criminal organization operating out of the Magnolia Housing Projects in New Orleans. During their investigation, detectives saw that Rudolph advertised the sale of a Draco assault rifle for $800 on social media.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Rudolph’s residence on October 19, 2023. They found two plastic bags containing fentanyl (totaling over 75 grams), $724 in cash, thirty-four counterfeit $100 bills, two Glock handguns with ammunition, a Romarm/Cugir Draco pistol with ammunition, a Glock switch machinegun conversion device, additional rounds of ammunition, and various gun parts and accessories.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed from the Violent Crime Unit/Strike Force Unit is prosecuting the case.
