Federal Prosecutors Obtain Lengthy Prison Sentence Against Henderson Woman in Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Case

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Henderson, Nevada, resident who admitted to selling Fentanyl resulting in the overdose death of a person in 2017, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Daniel Neill for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Tianna Christina Cordova, 35, pleaded guilty in November 2018, to one count of distribution of a Fentanyl. She was charged in a superseding indictment in August 2018. In addition to the prison incarceration, United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II, sentenced Cordova to 15 years of supervised release.

“This case serves as a deadly reminder of the dangers of Fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “In our continued effort to combat the opioid crisis in Nevada, the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains fully committed to the investigation and prosecution of fentanyl distributors.”

“This case highlights the community effort of the Clark County Coroner’s Office, Las Vegas Metro Police Department, and the US Attorney’s Office to bring justice to those who sell deadly poison to our community,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Neill.

According to court documents, Cordova used coded language in online advertisements to sell narcotics. She admitted that, on March 14, 2017, she sold an individual a controlled substance in the form of prescription pills that contained Fentanyl. After the person ingested the pills, the person died from multiple drug intoxication, namely from an overdose of Fentanyl, Acetyl Fentanyl, and Citalopram. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. On June 21, 2018, during the execution of a search warrant at Cordova and co-defendant Robert James Thornburg’s residence, law enforcement found Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Alprazolam, four firearms, and cash. 

Co-defendant Thornburg is scheduled for a jury trial on August 26, 2019. He is charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone and Amphetamine (Adderall), distribution of Oxycodone and Amphetamine (Adderall), distribution of Oxycodone, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Clark County Coroner’s Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Duncan prosecuted the case.

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