Dayton Men Plead Guilty to Dealing Heroin, Fentanyl that Resulted in User Deaths

DAYTON – Antonio J. Spiva, 25, of Dayton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the death of at least two individuals. A co-defendant, Charles M. McBeath, 33, of Dayton, had pleaded guilty to the same last week.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl and other members of the Heroin Eradication Apprehension Team (HEAT) announced the plea that was entered into yesterday before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

Both men were originally indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2015 and have remained in custody since. According to court documents, through late May 2015, McBeath and Spiva distributed heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine while maintaining operations at residences located on E. Fifth Street, S. Torrence Street and S. Horton Street, all in Dayton. Their distribution of fentanyl resulted in the overdose death of two individuals and the non-fatal overdose of at least three others.

As part of Spiva’s plea agreement, all parties involved are recommending a sentence of 12 to 18 years in prison to the court. Likewise, the plea agreement for McBeath includes a recommended sentence of 10 to 18 years in prison. Those recommendations will be considered by a U.S. District Judge at sentencing hearings in April.

The HEAT initiative was announced in May 2015 and includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office, DEA, Dayton Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, and the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory. The intent of the task force is to prosecute heroin and fentanyl suppliers who contribute to both fatal and non-fatal overdoses in Montgomery County.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by HEAT, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sheila G. Lafferty and Dominick S. Gerace, who are prosecuting the case.