Jonathan King, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following a June 7 conviction for conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., sentenced King to 120 months in federal prison and five years of federal supervised release.
According to U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, "The defendant’s drug distribution network put countless Rhode Island lives at risk for his own selfish gain. This prosecution, and today’s decade-long sentence should make one thing clear: in a time when overdose rates in our state remain at crisis levels, and every city and town in Rhode Island has seen opioid overdose deaths, we are determined to use every federal law enforcement tool at our disposal to stop combat significant opioid traffickers."
King was arrested on July 20, 2022. At sentencing, he was ordered to forfeit proceeds from his drug trafficking activities, including a Jaguar XF and $6,750 in cash. The Rhode Island Drug Task Force investigated this case. The task force includes personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Rhode Island State Police; Cranston Police Department; Middletown Police Department; Newport Police Department; Pawtucket Police Department; Providence Police Department; Warwick Police Department; Woonsocket Police Department; and Amtrak Police.
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G. Seaman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen P. Belleau stated, "The state of Rhode Island is faced with a fentanyl crisis unlike ever before as deaths continue to soar. Those responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl disguised in pills to the citizens of Rhode Island need to be held accountable for their actions." Belleau added that today's sentence holds Mr. King accountable for his crimes and emphasized that the DEA will continue to work with law enforcement partners to target other distributors like him.
"Make no mistake," Belleau said, "DEA will aggressively pursue Drug Trafficking Organizations who are distributing this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives."
