Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Taunton man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in drug distribution and related crimes. The sentencing took place in a federal court in Boston, where Terrence Pyrtle, also known as "Big T," was charged with distributing large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and methamphetamine. He was also convicted of using another person's identity to fraudulently rent properties for drug trafficking purposes.
U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris handed down the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release following the prison term. Pyrtle pleaded guilty in April 2025 to several charges including conspiracy to distribute drugs and aggravated identity theft.
Pyrtle and his co-conspirator Ashley Roostaie used an individual's personal information without their knowledge to lease apartments in Braintree and Somerville. These locations were used as part of a broader drug distribution network across the state. The pair also created a counterfeit driver's license and opened a Green Dot debit card account under the victim's name.
Roostaie received a sentence of two years probation and was ordered to pay fines and restitution totaling $2,000.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and David Cutshall with support from various law enforcement agencies including the FBI Boston Division and Massachusetts State Police.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations.
