Judge Gives Guilty Brandon Drug Dealer Life In Prison: Attorney

BRANDON, FL ? A Brandon man will serve life in prison after he was found guilty in June of distributing fentanyl, which caused a fatal overdose in April 2020, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Christopher A. Defilippis, 43, received his sentence Wednesday at a Hillsborough County court. A federal jury had also found him guilty for drug possession with the intent to distribute.

Investigators with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office began surveillance on Defilippis April 18, 2020, and they saw him distributing narcotics throughout Hillsborough County. The day before the surveillance began, he had given fentanyl to a person who fatally overdosed on it the same day, detectives said.

When law enforcement officers arrested Defilippis, they found in his possession fentanyl, cocaine, and packaging consistent with distribution, according to court documents.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner?s Office conducted an autopsy that showed the use of the fentanyl had caused the victim?s death. Lab analysis also determined that the fentanyl mixtures obtained near the victim were all very similar to the drugs authorities took from Defilippis.