Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Charge

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Anthony M. DeRose, a/k/a “Gus,” age 23, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to possessing and intending to sell furanyl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith.

On August 21, 2017, Schenectady County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested DeRose on an outstanding warrant.  They searched him and found, inside his right pants pocket, one clear plastic bag containing 145 smaller white bags or envelopes, each of which contained furanyl fentanyl.  As part of his plea, DeRose admitted that he intended to distribute the furanyl fentanyl, which has been a federally controlled substance since November 29, 2016.

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino will sentence DeRose on August 7, 2018. He faces up to 20 years in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.