A Tangipahoa Parish resident, Michael Penn, age 24, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2025, to three counts of distributing fentanyl in federal court. The plea was entered before United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Court documents show that Penn distributed significant amounts of fentanyl pills on three separate occasions: February 2, April 4, and April 18, 2024. The quantities involved were reported as 259.86 grams, 516.2 grams, and 541.2 grams respectively.
For the first count, Penn faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to forty years in prison. He could also be fined up to $5 million and face at least four years of supervised release. For the second and third counts, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to life imprisonment for each count. The fines could reach $10 million per count with at least five years of supervised release for each.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation into Penn’s activities. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver from the Narcotics Unit is prosecuting the case.
“This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit.”
