Fentanyl Dealer Gets 30 Years for Pregnant Woman’s Death

A Lexington man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a pregnant woman in Fayette County.

Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood handed down the sentence to 31-year-old Fred Rebmann on Tuesday, citing federal law, which requires Rebmann to serve at least 85 percent of his 360-month sentence.

According to court documents, Rebmann sold the pregnant woman a controlled substance believed to be heroin in February of this year. However, toxicology reports revealed that the drug was actually fentanyl, an extremely potent opioid that can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin.

The victim consumed the fentanyl and died after having five times the therapeutic dose of the substance in her system. No traces of heroin or other controlled substances were found in her body.

U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey called the case a tragic example of the consequences of drug dealing, saying that Rebmann sold the woman a deadly drug for less than $100.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Lexington Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Bradbury prosecuting the case on behalf of the federal government.

A joint statement from Harvey, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA, and Mark Barnard, Chief of Police of the Lexington Police Department, announced the sentence and vowed to continue protecting the community from predatory criminal conduct.