Long Island Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl That Contributed to Two Overdose Deaths

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Charles Carter, also known as “Chase,” pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.  As part of his plea, Carter admitted that fentanyl that he sold contributed to the drug overdose deaths of two victims (“Victim-1” and “Victim-2”) in 2020 and 2021.  Carter also admitted that in, 2021, he sold more than 43 grams of fentanyl to an undercover officer.  The plea proceeding was held before United States District Gary R. Brown.  As part of his plea agreement, Carter forfeited approximately $3,200 in seized narcotics sales proceeds and a 2009 Jeep Patriot that he used to facilitate narcotics sales.  When sentenced, Carter faces five to 40 years’ imprisonment.  

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), and, William Whitton, Chief of Police, Glen Cove Police Department (GCPD), announced the guilty plea.

“Carter’s fentanyl sales contributed to the overdose deaths of a man and a woman, which only added to pain and anguish caused by an opioid epidemic that has harmed so many on Long Island,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “The defendant’s guilty plea today is the result of the relentless efforts by this Office and our law enforcement partners to prosecute traffickers dealing lethal drugs for profit and bring justice for the victims and families devastated by the scourge of fentanyl.”

“During the COVID pandemic, when the world was focused on saving lives and the public’s health, Carter was making plans to sell ‘the good stuff’ which ended lives and fueled the fentanyl crisis.  This plea exemplifies law enforcement’s efforts to bring to justice those causing the most harm to our communities,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Tarentino. 

“Defendant Carter knowingly sold narcotics laced with fentanyl for months which contributed to the premature deaths of a man and woman.  With this plea, the defendant will receive a sentence that fits this crime.  All of this would not be possible without the exemplary work from numerous law enforcement agencies and their investigators,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.

“With drug overdoses rising at an alarming rate the Glen Cove Police Department will continue to make it a priority to identify and arrest those selling drugs in our community,” stated GCPD Chief of Police Whitton.

Between August 2020 and February 2021, Carter sold more than 40 grams of fentanyl to two overdose victims and an undercover GCPD detective.   The investigation revealed that on August 6, 2020, a 23-year-old individual (Victim-1) died of a drug-related overdose at her residence in Glen Cove, Long Island.  Cellular telephone analysis and additional investigation, showed that the fentanyl that Victim-1 used was purchased from Carter about two days before Victim-1’s death and that Victim-1 had drug-sale-related communications with Carter.  On February 5, 2021, a 40-year-old individual (Victim-2) died of a drug-related overdose at his residence in Farmingdale, Long Island.   A search of Victim-2’s phone revealed text messages between Carter and Victim-2, which related to Victim-2’s purchase of fentanyl, shortly before and in the months preceding his overdose death.  For example, on January 21, 2021, Carter wrote text messages to Victim-2, stating “im.(sic) around and I got the good stuff[.] Do u (sic) need to see me..??” Autopsies performed on both victims revealed traces of fentanyl in their bodies.  Additionally, Carter repeatedly sold fentanyl to the undercover GCPD detective in doses that could have been lethal if consumed, including approximately 43 grams of fentanyl in January 2021.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Justice, in 2019, nearly 71,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States.  The increase in overdose deaths has been driven in large part by fentanyl, a drug that has been described as 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.   In 2019, over 14,000 people died in the United States from a drug overdose involving heroin.  From 2013 to 2019, the synthetic opioid death rate increased by more than 1,000 percent.  Of those deaths, over 70% involved a prescription or illicit opioid.  Among New York State residents, the number of overdose deaths involving any opioid increased each year between 2010 and 2017, with an overall increase of 200.2 percent from 1,074 in 2010 to 3,224 in 2017, according to the New York State Health Department.   

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Bradley T. King and Madeline O’Connor are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder and Legal Assistant Janelle Robinson. 

The Defendant:

CHARLES CARTER (also known as “Chase”)
Age: 34
Amityville, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-88 (S-1) (GRB)