Anthony Esposito, Fentanyl Trafficking, Connecticut 2020

A 52-year-old New Haven man has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his role in distributing fentanyl in the Hartford area.

Anthony Esposito, also known as ‘Mafia,’ was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea on August 6, 2020, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, fentanyl.

According to court documents, in 2018, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force began investigating Ricardo Reyes, also known as ‘Rick the Ruler,’ a member of the Los Solidos street gang who was distributing fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack in the area of Park Street and Hungerford Street in Hartford.

During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of narcotics from Reyes, and court-authorized wiretaps confirmed that Reyes was distributing narcotics to numerous customers, identifying individuals who supplied drugs to Reyes and associates who sold drugs on his behalf.

The investigation revealed that Reyes supplied Esposito with fentanyl that Esposito sold to his own customers in the New Haven area.

Esposito has been detained since his arrest on June 17, 2019.

Esposito’s criminal history spans 30 years and includes convictions for firearm, drug, and violent crime offenses, including a 1998 federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and a 2003 state conviction for first-degree sexual assault.

The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and Connecticut Department of Correction.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.

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