Life in Prison Possible in Fentanyl Death Case: Three Indicted in New Orleans, Including Distribution to a Pregnant Woman and Accessory Charges
NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced that Ivory Carter, 44, Donnisha Brown, 42, and Christopher Lehmann, 30, were charged in a recently unsealed four-count indictment, returned on October 1, 2026, with violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act resulting in death. U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced the charges.
Count One charges all three with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death. Count Two charges Lehmann with distribution of a controlled substance to a pregnant individual. Count Three charges Carter with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Count Four charges Lehmann with being an accessory after the fact.
According to court records, beginning at least by December 27, 2025, and continuing to on or about December 28, 2025, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, the three conspired to distribute a quantity of fentanyl to an individual whose serious bodily injury and death resulted from the use of the substance.
If convicted on Count One, Carter faces up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000; on Count Three he faces up to twenty years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release. Brown and Lehmann face no less than twenty years on Count One, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release; Lehmann faces up to fifteen additional years on Count Four. Each defendant also faces a $100 mandatory special assessment per count.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Briana Williams of the Narcotics Unit.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼（资料图）。美国司法部官方照片，公共领域。 / The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters (file photo). U.S. Department of Justice photo, public domain.
