Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Laurie Ann Chapman, 53, from Pensacola, Florida, has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to fentanyl trafficking. The charges include conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and two counts of distribution of fentanyl. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Fentanyl has had an undeniably devastating, deadly impact on countless communities nationwide, which led President Donald J. Trump to designate the drug a Weapon of Mass Destruction in December 2025 to ensure we deploy every federal resource possible to eliminate it from our streets. Sheriff Chip Simmons and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office are doing great work in collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners to attack this threat head-on, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute and seek maximum punishment for anyone who peddles this poison.”
According to court documents, Chapman was under investigation for several months. Law enforcement agencies conducted surveillance during this period and recorded multiple instances where Chapman and her associates distributed fentanyl. The investigation ended on May 29, 2025, when officers stopped Chapman during a traffic stop and found her with over 100 grams of fentanyl that was intended for sale.
Chapman is facing a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and could be sentenced up to forty years in prison. She also faces up to five years of supervised release after serving her sentence.
The case resulted from a joint effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 7, 2026 at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative that coordinates resources across the Department of Justice against illegal immigration as well as drug trafficking organizations.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of ninety-four such offices nationwide under the direction of the Attorney General. More information about this office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
