Birmingham, AL – In a shocking case of fentanyl trafficking, Rodrigus Lee Pearson, 31, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl that caused the death of 20-year-old Ashlynn Bailey, a former University of Alabama student.
Pearson, a resident of Birmingham, Alabama, pleaded guilty to the charge of illegally distributing fentanyl that resulted in a death in January 2016 in Jefferson County. He also pleaded guilty to distributing heroin on February 8, 2016, distributing fentanyl on February 23, 2016, possessing with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine on March 30, 2016, and being a felon illegally possessing a gun, an H & K .40-caliber pistol, on March 30, 2016.
Pearson’s previous conviction was in Jefferson County Circuit Court in September 2014 for unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
According to the plea agreement, Pearson faces a 20-year sentence for the crime of distributing an opioid drug that resulted in a death. The possible statutory sentence for that crime is 20 years to life in prison. Twenty years in prison is the maximum penalty for the heroin and fentanyl distribution charges, and 10 years is the maximum prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Fentanyl kills in tiny doses – a few salt-sized grains. Most fentanyl on the streets is being made illegally in drug-dealer labs, and here and across the country overdose deaths soar as dealers add fentanyl to heroin to make it more potent,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey.
Pearson’s sentencing is scheduled for July 12, 2016.
The case highlights the dangers of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid painkiller that is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Just a small amount, even a few grains, can be fatal.
Related Federal Cases
- Jeremial Lee Leach, Fentanyl Trafficking, Indiana 2024 · Illinois
- Renell Nathaniel Cooper, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Alabama 2023 · Alabama
- Erin Alonzo, Fentanyl and Fully Automatic Firepower Trafficking, Louisiana 2023 · Colorado
- Erin House, Trafficking in Methamphetamine Fentanyl Cocaine, Ohio 2023 · California
- Maurice Tutt, Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking, California 2023 · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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