John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on Jan. 3, 2020, ANTHONY AMATO, 31, of Milford, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on Aug. 26, 2019, the Milford Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded to a Milford rooming house on a report of a drug overdose at the location. Inside the residence, a 28-year-old male was pronounced deceased. At the scene, investigators interviewed witnesses and collected evidence related to narcotics use, including needles and wax folds, some of which contained suspected heroin.
The investigation revealed that the overdose victim and Amato, who resided in another room in the rooming house, were together in the afternoon of Aug. 24, 2019. On Aug. 29, 2019, a court-authorized search of Amato’s room revealed multiple ripped wax folds and other narcotics-related evidence. Some of the wax folds were marked with the same stamp as the wax folds found in the victim’s room. Laboratory analysis of the wax folds revealed fentanyl and heroin residue.
Subsequent review of text communications between Amato and the victim revealed that Amato provided the victim with heroin in Aug. 24, 2019.
Amato’s criminal history includes multiple convictions for narcotics-related charges in Connecticut, including a conviction for sale of narcotics for which he is currently on state probation.
Amato has been detained since his federal arrest on Sept. 10, 2019. Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for March 30, 2020, at which time Amato faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Milford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
