Montebello Man Receives 20 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in Fatal Overdose at Long Beach Drug Rehab Clinic

LOS ANGELES – A Montebello man was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl to a buyer who then distributed it to a victim who the next day suffered a fatal overdose of the powerful synthetic opioid at a Long Beach drug treatment facility in late 2021.

Juan Carlos Gutierrez, 34, a.k.a. “Johnny G,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. 

A federal jury in July 2024 found Gutierrez guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury. Gutierrez has been in federal custody since May 2023.

“The distribution of fentanyl is causing incredible devastation to families and communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that those who peddle these lethal drugs and fuel this crisis will be held accountable for the destruction they cause.”

“This case underscores the callous and insatiable greed that fuels drug distributors,” said Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Los Angeles Field Division. “They are indifferent to the stories, vulnerabilities, and the struggles of those tunneling through addiction and recovery. DEA is working in lockstep with our federal and local partners to bring to justice fentanyl distributors, who engage in dangerous and deadly activity.”

The evidence presented at an eight-day trial showed that, on December 9, 2021, Gutierrez distributed fentanyl to co-defendant Jayleen Feusier, 37, of South Gate. Previously that night, Feusier agreed to get fentanyl for the victim, a 34-year-old man who was residing at a Long Beach drug treatment facility. In exchange for $60, Feusier agreed to get the fentanyl for the victim from Gutierrez, her longtime fentanyl dealer.

Later that night, Feusier broke off approximately one gram of the fentanyl that Gutierrez provided her, packaged it in a small plastic bag, and placed the bag, a lighter, and drug paraphernalia into a small box. She then placed the small box into another bag with a black t-shirt to mask the contents, ordered an Uber delivery service to Gutierrez’s home, and placed the item on the backseat of the vehicle to be delivered to the victim at the rehabilitation facility. Feusier then sent a link to the victim so he could track the Uber as it traveled to him.

At around 11 p.m. that night, the victim jumped a fence and retrieved the package from the Uber vehicle, then went back inside the drug treatment facility. Approximately six hours later, the victim’s body was discovered inside the facility’s living room. Drug paraphernalia sent by Feusier was discovered nearby the victim.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the victim’s death was caused by a fentanyl overdose.

Feusier, who has been in federal custody since February 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced in August 2024 to 100 months in prison. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Long Beach Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy K. Beecher of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section and Danbee C. Kim of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section prosecuted this case.