Press Release
Plainfield Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl to Overdose Victim
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that GEORGE KINNEY, 35, of Plainfield, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl to an overdose victim in 2016.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 31, 2016, the Plainfield Police Department responded to a report of an untimely death of a 38-year-old female at a hotel in Plainfield. At the scene, officers seized drug and non-drug evidence, including bags that appear to have contained heroin and/or fentanyl that were located in a bathroom garbage can. The investigation revealed that KINNEY had provided the drugs to the victim and her boyfriend shortly before the victim’s death.
The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined that the victim died due to the combined effects of ethanol and fentanyl.
KINNEY was arrested on May 9, 2017. At the time of his arrest, KINNEY possessed 40 bags of heroin on his person, and another 150 bags that were hidden in secret compartment in his pickup truck. The seized bags contained heroin and fentanyl, and most had identical labeling to the bags found in the victim’s hotel room.
Judge Bolden ordered KINNEY to forfeit his truck, a 2008 Ford F150 XL.
KINNEY has been detained since his arrest. On October 18, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and fentanyl.
KINNEY’s criminal history includes convictions for drug trafficking and a domestic violence offense.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the Plainfield Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.
Updated January 12, 2018
Topics
Drug Trafficking
Opioids
Component