BOSTON - A Stoughton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to distributing fentanyl and crack cocaine.
Matthew Pizarro, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for Feb. 20, 2020. Pizarro was indicted in October 2018, and has been in custody since his arrest in August 2018.
In July 2018, agents began an investigation into an overdose death, and learned that the victim obtained fentanyl from a friend, who had purchased the fentanyl from Pizarro. As part of the investigation, over the course of the next month, Pizarro sold approximately 100 grams of fentanyl to an undercover agent. On Aug, 7, 2018, Pizarro was arrested. A search of his residence resulted in the seizure of approximately 45 grams of crack cocaine, 20 grams of powder cocaine and a.25 caliber handgun and ammunition.
The charges of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. According to court documents, Pizarro has a prior drug conviction; therefore, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least eight years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $8 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Sean Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Ferguson and Alathea Porter of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
