California Man Indicted for Shipping Methamphetamine to the Capital Region and Selling Fentanyl

ALBANY, NEW YORK –Michael Laudicina, age 46, of Santa Cruz, California, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with distributing a controlled substance.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division; and Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo made the announcement.

The indictment alleges that Laudicina shipped at least 50 grams of methamphetamine to New York on three occasions, once each in July 2022, August 2022 and November 2022.  On a fourth occasion, in August 2022, Laudicina sold fentanyl.  The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The charges filed against Laudicina carry a term of imprisonment at least 10 years and up to life; a fine of up to $10 million; and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Laudicina was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, and ordered detained pending a trial before Senior United States District Judge Gary L Sharpe.

The DEA and Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Reiner and Ashlyn Miranda are prosecuting the case.