Cleveland Man Indicted For Selling Fentanyl That Killed Woman

A Cleveland man was indicted Wednesday on two counts of distributing fentanyl that killed a woman last year, according to a Department of Justice press release.

Robert J. Johnson, 26, was charged for sales of fentanyl on August 25 and 27 of 2015, the former resulting in the death of a woman. Because of the overdose, the sentence is enhanced and can result in a 20-year mandatory minimum penalty.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a report on the sudden rise of unintentional fentanyl overdoses in Ohio. The deaths rose from 84 deaths in 2013, to 502 in 2014, to 998 between 2014 and May 2015. In particular, cases steadily rose from 21 in January of 2014 to a staggering 124 in April 2015 alone.

“Fentanyl abuse has caused an unprecedented wave of overdose deaths in our community over the past few weeks,” said Carole Rendon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “The only way we can stem this tide is with a comprehensive approach focused on prevention, treatment, prescribing practices and enforcement. And on the enforcement side, we will continue to aggressively prosecute those who continue to peddle this poison in our community.”

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vasile Katsaros following the investigation by the Cleveland Police and Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

Photo courtesy of the Department of Justice