A Jefferson Parish man, identified as Michael Feast, 29, from Metairie, Louisiana, has entered a guilty plea to charges of distributing crack cocaine and using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced on December 16, 2025, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The charges come with significant potential sentences; Feast is staring down the barrel at up to 20 years imprisonment for the drug distribution charge, alongside a $1,000,000 maximum fine—on top of these penalties, he could be slapped with a minimum of five years, stretching up to life imprisonment for the firearms charge, and both counts carry their own periods of supervised release following any time served; according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana release, Feast's sentencing is slated for March 31, 2026 in front of U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long.
U.S. Attorney's Office reveal that Feast's criminal dealings were uncovered via a covert operation wherein he sold crack cocaine and a .45 caliber pistol to a confidential informant back on September 18, 2024; the transaction occurred in Metairie's Bellemont Apartments, all this substantiated by evidence brought forth during the investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office detailed in their announcement.
This case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a sweeping initiative aimed at curbing violent crime and gun violence, marrying the efforts of both law enforcement and communities, since revitalizing the program with a violence reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, law enforcement has been forging partnerships to prevent violence from erupting and to enhance public safety with focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results for effectiveness, as shared by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The prosecution of Feast's case is being managed by Assistant United States Attorney Troy L. Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit, with investigative cooperation from Homeland Security Investigations and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department. Potential inquiries about the case are being directed to Brittany Maique, Executive Assistant at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
