Perry Freeman was sentenced to 292 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a Westchester County resident, conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, and illegally possessing ammunition, according to an Aug. 4 announcement from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald.
Freeman pled guilty on February 11 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause. “Perry Freeman, a recidivist drug dealer, sold fentanyl to a victim who died shortly after taking the drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “This Office will not rest until the public is safe and that those who peddle this poison have been brought to justice, as Perry Freeman now has.”
According to charging documents and statements made in court proceedings, on or about November 10, 2021, Freeman sold fentanyl to his victim—a 37-year-old man—who died soon after using it. Police responded shortly thereafter to a burning car in Mohegan Lake near Freeman’s apartment building and found the victim deceased inside with his foot on the accelerator pedal while the car was parked.
The Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy showing lethal levels of both fentanyl and norfentanyl in the victim’s blood, as well as evidence of smoke inhalation before death; cause of death was certified as both acute fentanyl intoxication and accident.
Freeman also conspired over several years to distribute crack cocaine and possessed five shotgun shells despite being prohibited due to prior felony convictions for narcotics offenses dating back to 2008.
In addition to his prison sentence, Freeman received five years of supervised release. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Yorktown Police Department assisted with the investigation.