LOS ANGELES
A Venice, California man who sold the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl to a 19-year-old man who suffered a fatal overdose last year pleaded guilty today to a federal narcotics offense.
Julian Miles Mayers-Johnson, 32, plead guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He has been in custody since his arrest on April 17.
Mayers-Johnson admitted in his plea agreement that on October 19, 2018, outside a fast-food restaurant in Venice, he knowingly possessed fentanyl, intending to distribute it.
That same evening, at the same location, Mayers-Johnson sold one-half gram of fentanyl to the victim, who was residing at a sober living home in the Beverlywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to court documents.
The victim later ingested the fentanyl that Mayers-Johnson supplied, resulting in the victim’s overdose on October 20, and, one day later, the victim’s death, the plea agreement states.
A search of the victim’s cell phone resulted in law enforcement determining that Mayers-Johnson sold the fatal dose of fentanyl to the victim, according to court documents.
U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a May 4 sentencing hearing. Mayers-Johnson is facing up to 20 years in federal prison.
DOJ NOTED:
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Opioid Response Team, which is tasked with investigating suspected opioid-related overdose deaths in Los Angeles County.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Jamari Buxton and Ali Moghaddas of the General Crimes Section.