Press Releases
3 NEW ORLEANS FIREMEN AND CO-DEFENDANT PLEAD GUILTY TO FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES
April 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MILTON JOSEPH IV, age 25, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, DAMON BURKHALTER, age 40, AARON WHITE, age 24, and EDDIE SANDIFER, III, age 22, all residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court to various federal drug and gun-related offenses, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
BURKHALTER and WHITE plead guilty on Thursday, April 10, 2008; and SANDIFIER and JOSEPH pled guilty on Friday, April 11, 2008.
DAMON BURKHALTER pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. He also acknowledges that he had a prior felony drug conviction, which may be used to enhance his sentence. BURKHALTER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and a maximum of life imprisonment, up to $4 million in fines and at least five (5) years of supervised release.
AARON WHITE pled guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises (also known as the crack house statute) located in the 1400 block of North Derbigny Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. WHITE faces a possible maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, $500,000 in fines and not more than three (3) years of supervised release.
EDDIE SANDIFER pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute a quantity of heroin. He faces a possible maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a $1 million fine and at least three (3) years of supervised release.
MILTON JOSEPH pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and 100 grams or more of heroin. JOSEPH faces a minimum sentence of ten (10) years up to life imprisonment, a $4 million fine and at least five (5) years of supervised release.
Co-defendants WAYNE WILLIAMS and LAWRENCE HONORE are scheduled for trial in the next several weeks.
JOSEPH, WHITE, and SANDIFER, were all members of the New Orleans Fire Department until their arrest in connection with this case. After they pled guilty to their crime, Judge Lance Africk ordered that they be remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending their sentences. BURKHALTER has been in custody since his arrest.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New Orleans Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Samuel D. Marsh and Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr.
(Download Facutal Basis for JOSEPH, WHITE, SANDIFER, and BURKHALTER 
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