Wallingford Woman Admits Distributing Heroin in Fatal Overdose

Brittany Esposito, 27, of Wallingford, admitted in federal court today to distributing heroin that led directly to a fatal overdose in Old Saybrook. The guilty plea, entered before Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford, marks a grim milestone in Connecticut’s crackdown on drug dealers whose narcotics kill.

The victim, a 26-year-old male, was found unresponsive in an apartment on Main Street on May 14, 2016. First responders from Old Saybrook Police and emergency medical services pronounced him dead at the scene. Investigators recovered the man’s iPhone, an empty wax paper fold commonly used to package street drugs, and multiple syringes—all pointing to a lethal heroin dose.

Text messages pulled during the investigation reveal a chilling transaction: Esposito purchased heroin on credit and handed it to the victim one day before his death, May 13, 2016. Authorities say the act wasn’t isolated—it’s part of a broader pattern they’re targeting under a statewide initiative aimed at dealers whose drugs cause death or serious injury.

Esposito was arrested June 16, 2016, after a multi-agency probe led by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and Old Saybrook Police. The Middlesex State’s Attorney’s Office provided critical support, helping trace the drug trail from purchase to fatal use through digital and forensic evidence.

At sentencing, scheduled for February 9, 2017, Esposito faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. The charge—distribution of heroin resulting in death—carries severe penalties meant to deter dealers from pushing increasingly toxic street narcotics laced with fentanyl and other synthetics.

Esposito remains free on bond as she awaits sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Spector is prosecuting the case. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement warn that every dealer caught in this initiative will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law—especially when the product ends in a body bag.