Michael Penn, a 24-year-old resident of Tangipahoa Parish, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2025, to three counts of distributing fentanyl. The plea was entered before United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Court records show that Penn distributed significant amounts of fentanyl pills on three occasions: February 2, April 4, and April 18, 2024. The net weights for these distributions were reported as 259.86 grams, 516.2 grams, and 541.2 grams respectively.
For Count One, Penn faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to forty years in prison. He may also be fined up to $5 million and will face at least four years of supervised release. For Counts Two and Three, the penalties increase to a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life imprisonment for each count, fines up to $10 million per count, and at least five years of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver from the Narcotics Unit is prosecuting.
