Stephens City Woman Sentenced for Role in Fatal Overdose

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA – A Stephens City, Virginia woman, who previously admitted to selling heroin that led to a fatal overdose in March 2014, was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Harrisonburg.

Brandy Dawn Kelly, 37, of Stephens City, Va., previously pled guilty to one count of distribution of heroin to victim R.F.L. Today in District Court, Kelly was sentenced to nine years of federal incarceration and four years of supervised release thereafter.  

“This case is another example of the trail of pain and sorrow that the heroin epidemic has cut across Virginia and the nation,” United States Attorney Anthony P. Giorno said today. “The only way this epidemic can be curbed is through a combination of prevention, treatment and prosecution. It is only through a comprehensive approach that we can achieve real change.”

According to evidence presented at pervious hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth G. Wright, Kelly admitted to buying heroin from Scott Pierce, who previously traveled to Baltimore, Maryland and purchased that heroin from Christopher Giles. Kelly set the price, arranged the transaction and met with the victim, R.F.L. on March 19-20, 2014. R.F.L. used the heroin purchased from Kelly, overdosed and died as a result.  Pierce and Giles have both been charged federally for their roles in the overdose death.

The investigation of these cases was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force. The Task Force includes law enforcement from the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah, Warren and Page as well as the cities and towns of Winchester, Front Royal and Strasburg, and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth G. Wright prosecuted the cases for the United States.