Anthony Dodaj and Duane Martinez are facing life sentences for selling the heroin that led to a fatal overdose of a 41-year-old patient at a Manhattan hospital rehabilitation clinic, according to officials from the Southern District of New York.
The duo, aged 46 and 44 respectively, were charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin after Ivy Katz, age 41, overdosed on January 1, 2017. Dodaj was arrested in March 2017 without bail, while Martinez will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox today.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim and NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill emphasized the gravity of their actions, with Kim stating that Dodaj and Martinez ‘worked together to deliver a fatal dose of heroin’ while Katz was a patient at the clinic.
The indictment against Dodaj and Martinez outlines their conspiracy to sell heroin from September 2016 through March 2017 in the Southern District of New York and beyond. Both face a mandatory minimum term of 20 years in prison, with a maximum possible sentence of life.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kim praised the ‘outstanding investigative work’ of the NYPD, while Commissioner O’Neill highlighted the commitment of the NYPD to investigate overdoses and hold dealers accountable for their deaths.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit, with Assistant United States Attorney David W. Denton Jr. leading the prosecution. The charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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