Two Plead Guilty to Distributing Opioids that Caused Fatal Overdoses

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Defendants in two separate indictments entered guilty pleas Monday, to distributing controlled substances that resulted in death.  In Lexington, Daikuan Miller, 23, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death, before Senior District Judge Joseph M. Hood.  Miller admitted that, on August 19, 2018, he distributed the lethal drug to an individual identified as W.M.  The Nashville Police Department, the Lexington Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) jointly investigated the case.

In a separate matter in Frankfort, Kari Yount, 31, pleaded guilty to distributing heroin that resulted in an overdose death, before District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove.  Yount admitted that she distributed heroin to an individual identified as C.N.M.. The Frankfort Police Department and the DEA jointly investigated the death, which led to the federal charges.

Both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.  Sentencing for Miller will occur in Lexington, on July 8, 2019; sentencing for Yount will occur in Frankfort, on July 24, 2019.

“The illegal distribution of opioids, particularly heroin and fentanyl, is a crisis,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  “These drugs are killing Americans at a rate faster than car accidents, and one critical piece in our comprehensive approach to combatting this epidemic is to aggressively prosecute those who illegally sell this poison.  Our Office remains committed to seeking justice for the families who have suffered so much from this illegal trade.  The commitment of our law enforcement partners is also vital to the effort, and is what made these prosecutions possible.”

U.S. Attorney Duncan; Darrell Christopher Evans, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Louisville; Charles Adams, Interim Chief of Police, Frankfort Police Department; and Lawrence Weathers, Chief of Police, Lexington-Fayette County Division of Police, jointly announced the guilty pleas. Assistant United States Attorney Todd Bradbury prosecuted both cases on behalf of the United States.