Ocala, Florida - Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jermaine Lamar Harvard (40, Lake County) with one count of distributing fentanyl resulting in death. If convicted, Harvard faces a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison. He was arrested on August 4, 2021.
Harvard had been indicted on April 22, 2021.
According to the indictment, on or about Oct. 12, 2019, Harvard distributed a quantity of fentanyl to an individual known as M.R. As a result of using the fentanyl that Harvard distributed, M.R. died. Harvard has prior convictions for sale of cocaine in 2013.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
