Hammond man sentenced to 15 years in jail

A Hammond man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for distributing more than 100 grams of crack cocaine in Ponchatoula, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported Thursday.

Kenyatte D. Pea, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the federal Controlled Substances Act on Aug. 31, 2011, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said in a news release.

U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle sentenced Pea on Wednesday to 188 months, or 15 years, in prison followed by four years of supervised release, Letten said.

Pea must also pay a mandatory $100 special assessment, Letten said.

Because Pea is on federal supervised release, he faces additional penalties for the distribution counts and is scheduled for a revocation hearing on July 25 before U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, Letten said.

Special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Scott Laragy prosecuted the case.