LOS ANGELES
A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty last week to a felony drug offense for his actions surrounding a 2020 fentanyl transaction that resulted in the death of a U.S. Marine.
Anthony Ruben Whisenant, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court to using a communication facility—a cellphone—in committing a felony drug offense.
United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee is scheduled to sentence Whisenant on May 7, at which time he will face a maximum sentence of four years in federal prison.
“Fentanyl continues to claim the lives of too many in our community,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Our office remains committed to holding accountable those responsible for circulating fentanyl and other dangerous substances in our district and threatening the health and safety of our residents.”
In May 2020, court documents show that Whisenant, then a lance corporal stationed at Camp Pendleton, ordered pills advertised as oxycodone—which actually contained fentanyl—for another Marine known as “L.M.”
He contacted 28-year-old Gustavo Jaciel Solis, a drug dealer who advertised on Snapchat.
Later that day, L.M. drove Whisenant and another Marine, 27-year-old Ryan Douglas White, from Camp Pendleton to pick up the drugs from Solis. The three then went to a party in Compton, where L.M. took some of the pills and died shortly afterward.
Following Whisenant’s instructions, White flushed the remaining pills down a toilet before first responders arrived.
In 2020, Solis, Whisenant, and two other civilian co-conspirators were charged with running a drug ring that distributed narcotics to civilians and Marines, while White was charged as an accessory after the fact.
Solis was arrested in July 2020, at which time investigators seized narcotics and several firearms—including a 9mm “ghost gun” gun”—from his residence.
Solis pleaded guilty in April 2022 to two federal drug trafficking offenses: participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy and distributing fentanyl resulting in death. His sentencing is pending, and he faces a maximum sentence of life.
White pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of misprision of a felony for his knowledge of the fatal drug transaction and his attempts to hinder law enforcement’s investigation. His sentencing is scheduled for June 6. He is facing up to 3 years in prison.
A superseding indictment filed in September 2020 named two other defendants: Jordan Nicholas McCormick, 29, of Palmdale, and Jessica Sarah Perez, 25, of Pacoima.
McCormick allegedly supplied LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to co-conspirators. McCormick has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial on April 22.
Perez distributed narcotics, including fentanyl and cocaine, to the conspiracy’s civilian customers. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and was sentenced in September 2022 to pay a $100 fine and placed on probation for two years.
This matter was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Castañeda of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.