A jury convicted an Akron man of selling fentanyl that caused the death of an Akron woman, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said.
Jurmaine A. Jeffries, 29, was convicted of distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl following a two-week trial. The jury found Jeffries sold the fentanyl that resulted in the death of an Akron woman on Sept. 16, 2015 inside a home on Goodyear Avenue.
Testimony and evidence presented at trial showed the woman called and texted Jeffries repeatedly on the day she died asking to buy heroin. He replied “B right there" and records from cell phone towers put Jeffries near the woman’s house on the day she died.
After she was found dead, Akron police detectives posed as the woman and texted Jeffries from her phone, asking for more drugs. Jeffries again replied that he would be right there. Police arrested him when he arrived and found him with 38 grams of fentanyl, according to trial testimony and evidence.
Jeffries will be sentenced later this year. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
“We will prosecute those who sell fentanyl and other drugs that kill our friends and neighbors," Herdman said. “This defendant drove around Akron delivering poison for profit. The Akron Police Department and all our law enforcement partners did a tremendous job bringing this man to justice."
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa Riley and Megan Miller following an investigation by the Akron Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
