New Orleans police are searching for a suspect in a reported phone-theft case. A warrant is now on file for an arrest on a felony theft charge.
According to NOPD News, investigators are seeking a suspect in connection with a reported phone theft. Royal Street is lined with 19th-century Creole architecture and art galleries.
A Short Trip Across Town for the Stolen Device
The Paris Avenue block is mentioned in a similar May 2026 bulletin involving a different suspect selling a stolen phone at a kiosk, per NOPD News. The supplied information does not specify whether any sale involved one of those automated kiosks. Kiosks of that type, such as ecoATM, typically require sellers to present government photo identification and pass live image verification, and can provide transaction reports to law enforcement through LeadsOnline, according to ecoATM.
The felony charge Meilleur faces hinges on the value of the stolen phone meeting or exceeding $1,000. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:67, theft of property valued between $1,000 and $5,000 is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, with or without hard labor, and fines of up to $3,000, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. The phone's model and estimated dollar value are not given in this account.
Public Safety in the Quarter
The supplied information describes cameras monitoring every corner and assisting with criminal investigations. The French Quarter Management District provides public-safety information, according to the French Quarter Management District.
Anyone who purchases, receives, or resells a stolen phone can also face charges separate from the original theft. Louisiana Revised Statute 14:69 makes illegal possession of stolen things a punishable offense, with penalties tied to the dollar value of the goods involved, according to the Louisiana State Legislature.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Phone Thefts
This is not the first time NOPD has zeroed in on cell phone theft in the French Quarter. In February, five suspects nabbed, 71 phones recovered in a targeted enforcement operation against pickpocketing and mobile device theft in the neighborhood. The supplied information also mentions increased pickpocketing incidents in the Quarter.
NOPD is asking anyone with information on the suspect's whereabouts to contact Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans by phone at 504-822-1111, toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP, or through the Crimestoppers website. As with all pending cases, the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
