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New Orleans Man Sentenced to 30 Years for the Assault of a Federal Agent Resulting in the Death of DEA Supervisory Special Agent Thomas J. Byrne
NEW ORLEANS—Ameal
Parker, aka Ameal Varnado, age 47, of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S.
District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt to 30 years in prison for the murder of DEA
Supervisory Special Agent Thomas J. Byrne while Agent Byrne was engaged in and
on account of the performance of his official duties, announced U.S. Attorney
Jim Letten and DEA Special Agent in Charge Jimmy S. Fox, III.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Engelhardt sentenced Parker to
five years of supervised release following the term of imprisonment during which
time the defendant will be under federal supervision and risks an additional
term of imprisonment should he violate any terms of his supervised
release.
According to court documents, Parker pleaded guilty on July 23, 2009,
following an investigation which revealed that on Aug. 28, 2008, Supervisory
Special Agent Byrne was visiting New Orleans in his official capacity while
attending the U.S. Department of Justice-sponsored Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Southeast Regional Conference, which began on
Aug. 26, 2008, at local downtown hotel. Supervisory Special Agent Byrne
died on Aug. 30, 2008 at Tulane University Hospital from injuries he received
from Parker during an assault and robbery in the early morning hours of
Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.
This prosecution was the result of a cooperative investigation conducted by
the DEA, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and New Orleans Police Department, with the
valuable assistance of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s
Office. Crimestoppers was also instrumental in efforts to gather pertinent
evidence surrounding the crime.
Supervisory Special Agent Byrne was a 16-year veteran of the DEA, most
recently assigned to the Houston Division. He was married and the father
of four children.
The prosecution has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maurice Landrieu
and Jay Quinlan.
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