Sanford Man and South Portland Woman Sentenced for Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death

PORTLAND, Maine—A Sanford man and a South Portland woman were sentenced today in federal court for distributing fentanyl resulting in the death of another individual, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Earl Cormier, 42, to 125 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Judge Levy sentenced Suzanne Cormier, 40, to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Earl Cormier pleaded guilty on January 3, 2019, and Suzanne Cormier pleaded guilty on January 9, 2019.

According to court records, on July 8, 2017, Earl Cormier arranged a drug transaction with another male. Suzanne Cormier acquired the drugs from a supplier and the two traveled together to the Walmart in Biddeford to complete the transaction. Earl Cormier delivered a substance containing fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl along with needles to the male. The male used the substance in the Walmart bathroom and was later discovered unconscious in the bathroom. He never regained consciousness and died on July 19, 2017.

The Biddeford Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case. 

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.