LOS ANGELES - An admitted drug dealer was sentenced today to 156 months in federal prison for selling a fatal dose of the powerful opioid fentanyl to a 19-year-old man who had been residing at a sober living home.
Julian Miles Mayers-Johnson, 33, of Venice, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II. Mayers-Johnson pleaded guilty in October 2019 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
On Oct. 19, 2018, outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Venice, Mayers-Johnson sold one-half gram of fentanyl to the victim, who was residing at a sober living home in the Beverlywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The victim suffered a fatal drug overdose the following day after ingesting the fentanyl that Mayers-Johnson supplied.
A search of the victim’s cell phone resulted in law enforcement determining that Mayers-Johnson sold the fatal dose of fentanyl to the victim.
In April 2019, Mayers-Johnson was arrested on a federal criminal complaint in this matter and has remained in federal custody since then.
“Less than two months after (the victim’s) death, (Mayers-Johnson) was still dealing drugs, including fentanyl," prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “(Mayers-Johnson’s) criminal history demonstrates his unwillingness to conform his behavior to the laws of his community - even after causing someone’s death."
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Opioid Response Team, which is tasked with investigating suspected opioid-related overdose deaths in Los Angeles County.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Jamari Buxton of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Ali Moghaddas of the General Crimes Section.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
