Todd Rasberry ‘Champagne’ Gets 11½ Years for Heroin Distribution

Portland, Maine — Todd Rasberry, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, known on the street as “Champagne,” is headed to federal prison for 11½ years after being sentenced Wednesday for distributing heroin in southern Maine. U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy handed down the sentence following Rasberry’s guilty plea on June 15, 2016, to one count of heroin distribution, closing a case built in a matter of hours by federal and local investigators.

The arrest unfolded on July 15, 2015, when federal agents intercepted a courier delivering heroin to a known drop point in Portland. The suspect was confronted, taken into custody, and found with heroin packaged for street sale. Under questioning, he revealed his supplier was holed up in a motel room in Scarborough — a tip that sent law enforcement racing to the scene before the chain could go cold.

Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Scarborough Police Department stormed the motel room, seizing 51 grams of packaged heroin, a digital scale, and bulk packaging materials — all telltale signs of a distribution operation. Rasberry was arrested on the spot, with no attempt to flee or destroy evidence, according to court records.

At sentencing, prosecutors emphasized the danger posed by large-scale heroin traffickers, particularly during the peak of the opioid crisis in New England. Rasberry’s nickname, “Champagne,” suggested a lifestyle funded by illicit profits, but court documents revealed no financial disclosures or assets tied to the operation — only the tools of the trade and a growing user base.

Rasberry will serve 11½ years behind bars followed by three years of court-monitored supervised release. Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie R. Guerrette and Julia M. Lipez, argued the sentence reflects both the severity of the crime and the need to disrupt supply chains feeding addiction in rural and urban communities alike.

The investigation remains closed, with no additional co-defendants charged. Authorities say the swift takedown prevented an unknown quantity of heroin from hitting the streets. For now, ‘Champagne’ won’t be pouring anything — just doing hard time in a federal pen.