A Rockland County man, Justin Turnick, has been sentenced to over 21 years in prison for distributing fentanyl, leading to six poisonings, including three fatalities. The sentencing was announced by Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern handed down the sentence after Turnick pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl.
In his plea agreement, Turnick admitted responsibility for distributing fentanyl that resulted in three fatal and three non-fatal poisonings among teenagers and young adults between February 2020 and April 2022 in Rockland County.
"Justin Turnick’s actions didn’t just facilitate addiction—they fueled a crisis that has claimed lives and inflicted unimaginable suffering," said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky. "The career prosecutors of this Office and our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration and in local law enforcement remain resolute in our mission to combat the fentanyl epidemic and to seek justice for those who have suffered."
Turnick engaged in regular narcotics distribution within his community, providing various forms of fentanyl including pills, pure fentanyl, and fentanyl-laced powder. This distribution led to several incidents:
- On February 3, 2020, Gustaf Olsen died at age 19.
- On July 11, 2020, Jonathan Shashoua died at age 22.
- On January 5, 2021, an 18-year-old girl experienced a non-fatal poisoning.
- On July 30, 2021, Ione Koenig experienced a non-fatal poisoning.
- On July 31, 2021, Ione Koenig died at age 18.
- On April 19, 2022, a 23-year-old man experienced a non-fatal poisoning.
In addition to his prison term, Turnick will undergo five years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. He is from Congers, New York.
Mr. Podolsky commended the efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration along with local law enforcement agencies such as the Clarkstown Police Department and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office. He also expressed gratitude towards other supporting departments including Ramapo Police Department and Westchester County Police Department.
The case prosecution is managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison and Kathryn Wheelock from the White Plains Division.
