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So your probably ABSOLUTELY PANICKING right now because federal agents just arrested you in Manhattan as one of 19 defendants charged for conspiring to distribute millions of doses of fentanyl and crack cocaine in Washington Square Park causing at least two deaths within six-month span, or maybe your facing 45 YEARS in federal prison like Grei Mendez who got sentenced for trafficking fentanyl out of Bronx daycare that killed 22-month-old Nicholas Feliz-Dominici and poisoned three other children under age three, or worse – maybe your one of two highest-ranking leaders of Gorilla Stone Bloods gang facing 35 YEARS each like Dwight Reid “Dick Wolf” and Christopher Erskine “Beagle” sentenced for racketeering and narcotics offenses.
Maybe they arrested you in Brooklyn after seizing over 85 POUNDS of cocaine and fentanyl, 8 guns, and $420,000 cash from Williamsburg charging you as major trafficker. Maybe your facing 22 YEARS like Long Island man Ryan Mueller who distributed fentanyl that killed retired police officer. Or maybe your one of five defendants charged in Manhattan federal court for distributing fentanyl that caused fatal overdoses of three 19-year-olds carrying mandatory minimum of 20 YEARS TO LIFE.
Look, we get it. Your COMPLETELY TERRIFIED. And honestly? You should be! Because Grei Mendez got sentenced to 45 years for storing 11 kilograms of fentanyl under daycare playroom floor tiles, and Southern District and Eastern District of New York prosecutors are crushing defendants with decades-long sentences for fentanyl trafficking!
Let me explain how New York’s federal court system works because understanding which district your case is in REALLY matters for your sentencing exposure. New York is divided into four separate federal judicial districts – the Southern District headquartered in Manhattan covering Manhattan, Bronx, Westchester, and parts of upstate New York, the Eastern District headquartered in Brooklyn covering Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island, the Northern District covering northern upstate areas, and the Western District covering Buffalo and western New York. The Southern District and Eastern District handle overwhelming majority of federal drug prosecutions because New York City is largest drug market in United States with millions of users creating massive demand.
The Southern District of New York based in Manhattan is extremely aggressive for drug trafficking prosecutions because Manhattan serves as distribution hub where drugs flow into city from Mexico, Dominican Republic, and other sources then get distributed throughout five boroughs. In October 2025, nineteen defendants got charged for conspiring to distribute millions of doses of fentanyl and crack cocaine in Washington Square Park and surrounding area, and defendants maintained open-air market for opioids and crack cocaine that operated all day, every day in heart of Greenwich Village since at least 2020. When prosecutors prove organization distributed millions of doses over years causing multiple deaths, every member faces mandatory 20 years to life for death-resulting charges.
The Eastern District of New York based in Brooklyn prosecutes massive trafficking operations throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. Ryan Mueller from Long Island got sentenced in December 2024 to 22 YEARS in prison for distributing fentanyl that caused death of retired police officer, and in February 2025 DEA seized approximately 3.4 MILLION COUNTERFEIT PILLS from Mueller which was largest seizure of fake pills that DEA New York Division has ever processed. When your charged with distribution resulting in death under 21 USC 841(b)(1)(C), that carries mandatory minimum sentence of 20 YEARS and maximum of LIFE regardless of drug quantities involved.
New York federal cases sometimes involve absolutely shocking circumstances that result in crushing sentences. Grei Mendez got sentenced in March 2025 to 45 YEARS in prison for trafficking fentanyl out of Divino Niño Daycare in Bronx which resulted in death of one child and poisoning of three others. On September 15, 2023, four children at daycare, all under three years of age, experienced effects of poisoning from exposure to fentanyl including 22-month-old Nicholas Feliz-Dominici who died creating devastating tragedy that shocked entire nation.
Mendez and her co-conspirators maintained more than 11 KILOGRAMS of fentanyl and heroin in secret compartments, or traps, located underneath floor tiles in playroom of daycare where toddlers played daily creating unimaginable danger to innocent children. From at least June 2022 through September 2023, Mendez conspired to distribute narcotics out of daycare while parents trusted her to care for there children. U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff imposed 45-year sentence after Mendez pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024, and judge had previously given same sentence to Mendez’s husband Felix Herrera-Garcia after he pleaded guilty to drug charges and causing bodily harm related to death.
For sentencing purposes, 11 kilograms is 11,000 grams which way exceeds any mandatory minimum threshold putting Mendez at base offense levels calling for life imprisonment, but the fact that trafficking occurred in daycare with children present and caused death of toddler created massive upward departures where judge imposed 45 years to reflect extraordinary egregiousness of conduct. When federal prosecutors can prove drug trafficking caused death of child, judges impose sentences at absolute top of guideline ranges or above guidelines through upward departures because society views harming children as most aggravating circumstance imaginable warranting decades in federal prison without parole.
Manhattan federal prosecutors target open-air drug markets operating in public parks and streets through massive multi-defendant conspiracy indictments. Nineteen defendants including Maliek Lugg got charged in October 2025 for involvement in conspiracy to distribute opioids including fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and heroin plus crack cocaine in Washington Square Park creating open-air market that operated continuously since at least 2020. Defendants distributed millions of doses of opioids and millions of doses of crack cocaine over five years, and drug dealing caused at least two deaths within one six-month span in 2024 plus additional overdoses throughout conspiracy period.
When prosecutors prove organization operated open-air market in heart of Greenwich Village – one of Manhattan’s most prominent neighborhoods – for years despite law enforcement attention, that demonstrates brazen disregard for law and sophisticated organization capable of maintaining operations through arrests and seizures. All nineteen defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death which carries mandatory minimum sentence of 20 YEARS in prison and maximum sentence of LIFE, and when your one of 19 defendants charged together prosecutors argue entire organization’s drug quantities and all deaths caused by organization are attributable to every member under conspiracy law.
Five defendants got charged in separate Manhattan federal court case for distributing fentanyl that caused fatal overdoses of three 19-year-olds showing pattern of death-resulting prosecutions throughout Southern District. These defendants also face mandatory minimum 20 years to life, and when multiple deaths can be traced to your organization through toxicology reports, text messages, and witness testimony showing victims obtained drugs from your network within hours of overdoses, prosecutors charge all deaths creating multiple death-resulting counts that can run consecutive creating 40-60+ year exposure.
Southern District of New York prosecutes gang organizations through RICO statutes resulting in decades-long sentences for leadership. Dwight Reid (a/k/a “Dick Wolf”) and Christopher Erskine (a/k/a “Beagle”) were both sentenced to 35 YEARS in prison in May and November 2024 for years-long leadership of Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods Gang (“Gorilla Stone”), brutally violent street and prison gang that operates across country. Reid, gang’s highest-ranking member and founder and prison leader, got sentenced first, while Erskine, gang’s street leader also known as “Sun” and second highest-ranking member, got sentenced months later.
Sentencings were imposed by Honorable Philip M. Halpern following nearly three-week trial where Reid and Erskine were convicted of racketeering and narcotics offenses showing they went to trial and lost rather than pleading guilty creating significant trial penalty. All 21 defendants in Gorilla Stone case before Judge Halpern have been convicted, with eighteen defendants sentenced and three awaiting sentencing demonstrating systematic prosecution of entire gang organization from leadership down to street members. Reid founded Gorilla Stone over 20 years ago, and gang has many members across New York State including throughout New York City, Westchester, Upstate New York, and New York State Prison System plus nationwide locations like Florida.
RICO conspiracy carries up to 20 YEARS per count, but when underlying racketeering activities include murder, attempted murder, narcotics distribution, and firearms offenses over decades, federal judges impose sentences at or above guideline ranges to reflect years of violent criminal activity. The fact that both top leaders received identical 35-year sentences shows judge viewed them as equally culpable for gang’s violence and drug trafficking throughout New York creating crushing exposure for gang leadership that effectively amounts to life sentences for defendants who are middle-aged or older.
Eastern District prosecutes large-scale Brooklyn trafficking operations through New York State’s “operating as major trafficker” statute plus federal drug charges. George Capella from Williamsburg Brooklyn got arrested in December 2024 following eight-month wiretap investigation after authorities seized over 85 POUNDS of cocaine and fentanyl, eight loaded guns, and $420,000 cash charging him as major trafficker. Eighty-five pounds is approximately 39 KILOGRAMS which way exceeds the 5-kilogram threshold for 10-year mandatory and approaches the 50-kilogram threshold for 20-year mandatory putting Capella at base offense levels calling for 15-25 years before any enhancements.
For sentencing purposes, when federal prosecutors seize $420,000 in cash along with 85 pounds of drugs, that demonstrates ongoing trafficking organization generating massive proceeds requiring money laundering creating additional charges under 18 USC 1956 carrying up to 20 years stacking on top of drug sentences. The eight loaded firearms create multiple 924(c) charges for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking carrying mandatory 5-10 years consecutive for each gun depending on whether firearms were merely possessed, brandished, or discharged. When wiretap investigations span eight months, prosecutors present evidence of hundreds of drug transactions coordinated electronically creating overwhelming conspiracy evidence at trial.
Brooklyn man got arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court in April 2025 on charges stemming from seizure of more than 9 KILOGRAMS of cocaine hidden inside cigar boxes recovered from residence in Cypress Hills Brooklyn showing creative concealment methods traffickers use. Another 2024 investigation revealed that from October 2023 to June 2024, defendants sold fentanyl and cocaine near Brooklyn residences with 500 grams of cocaine seized in June 2024. Long-term wiretap investigation in Brownsville Brooklyn dismantled three drug trafficking organizations resulting in 22 arrests and seizure of 18 guns plus over 8 kilograms of narcotics with four overdoses connected to these organizations.
New York federal prosecutors aggressively file distribution resulting in death charges because fentanyl overdoses have devastated communities throughout five boroughs and Long Island. Ryan Mueller from Long Island got sentenced to 22 YEARS in prison for distribution of fentanyl causing death of retired police officer, and fact that victim was law enforcement officer meant judge imposed sentence at high end of guideline range to reflect particularly tragic circumstances. When prosecutors prove someone died from fentanyl you distributed, that’s death-resulting enhancement carrying mandatory 20 years to life regardless of quantities involved.
Five defendants got charged in Manhattan federal court for distributing fentanyl that caused fatal overdoses of three 19-year-olds, and each defendant faces mandatory minimum 20 years to life even though multiple people may have contributed to providing drugs to victims. Under death-resulting law, prosecutors only have to prove your fentanyl was “but-for” cause of death meaning victim wouldn’t have died but for consuming drugs you provided, and even if victim used multiple substances or obtained drugs from multiple sources, if your fentanyl contributed to overdose you face life exposure.
Washington Square Park defendants caused at least two deaths within six-month span in 2024 plus additional overdoses, and prosecutors investigate every overdose death by tracing drugs back to sources through text messages, surveillance footage, witness interviews, and forensic analysis of drugs found at death scenes. When toxicology reports show victim died from fentanyl and investigators prove through phone records or cooperating witnesses that victim obtained drugs from your organization within hours or days before death, prosecutors charge distribution resulting in death making every member of conspiracy responsible for all deaths caused by organization’s drug distribution.
Even though New York federal prosecutions are aggressive with death-resulting charges and massive multi-defendant takedowns, there are defenses that can work if you have experienced federal criminal defense counsel. Challenging your role in conspiracy and drug quantities attributable to you is critical because just because Washington Square Park organization distributed millions of doses or Bronx daycare had 11 kilograms doesn’t automatically mean YOUR responsible for those amounts if you were low-level street dealer who only handled small quantities. Prosecutors have to prove your knowledge of conspiracy’s scope and that massive quantities were reasonably foreseeable to you based on your participation.
We’ve successfully argued our client was minor participant with limited knowledge of organizational scope, reducing attributable quantity from amounts triggering life sentences down to amounts qualifying for 10-year mandatory or safety valve below mandatories. Minor participant reduction under sentencing guidelines can reduce offense level by 4 levels which translates to roughly 3-5 years reduction, and when combined with acceptance of responsibility and cooperation can reduce 20-30 year exposure down to 7-12 years.
Challenging death-resulting causation is absolutely critical when facing mandatory 20 years to life. Prosecutors have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that fentanyl you distributed was proximate cause of victim’s death, and there are defenses if victim used multiple drugs simultaneously, if significant time elapsed between your distribution and overdose, or if victim’s toxicology revealed other contributing factors. We’ve challenged death-resulting charges by showing victim obtained drugs from multiple sources making it impossible to prove your drugs were but-for cause, resulting in dismissal of death enhancement reducing life exposure down to 10-year mandatory.
Cooperation and substantial assistance agreements are absolutely critical in New York multi-defendant cases because when 19-21 defendants are charged together, prosecutors need cooperators to testify about organizational structure, Mexico or Dominican Republic suppliers, open-air market operations, and stash house locations. Federal prosecutors in Southern and Eastern Districts highly value information about international suppliers, gang connections, money laundering methods, and sources of counterfeit pills. We’ve negotiated 5K1.1 substantial assistance departures where defendants facing life or 20-35 year guidelines ended up with 10-15 years because they cooperated extensively including trial testimony against organizational leaders.
| Defendant/Case | District | Charges | Key Facts | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grei Mendez | Southern (Bronx) | Fentanyl trafficking, death of child | 11kg under daycare floor, killed toddler | 45 years |
| Dwight Reid “Dick Wolf” | Southern | RICO, narcotics | Gorilla Stone gang founder/leader | 35 years |
| Christopher Erskine “Beagle” | Southern | RICO, narcotics | Gorilla Stone street leader | 35 years |
| Ryan Mueller | Eastern (Long Island) | Distribution resulting in death | Killed retired officer, 3.4M pills seized | 22 years |
| George Capella | Eastern (Brooklyn) | Major trafficker | 85 lbs drugs, 8 guns, $420K cash | Pending |
| Washington Square Park (19 defendants) | Southern (Manhattan) | Conspiracy resulting in death | Millions of doses, 2+ deaths | Pending |
Look, defending federal cases in New York requires understanding of how Southern and Eastern District prosecutors build multi-defendant conspiracies involving international suppliers, knowledge of death-resulting enhancements that carry mandatory 20 years to life, and familiarity with specific practices of judges in Manhattan and Brooklyn federal courts that most criminal defense lawyers simply don’t have. New York City is largest drug market in United States with overwhelming federal enforcement resources dedicated to dismantling trafficking organizations, and prosecutors routinely charge 15-20 defendants together in single conspiracy creating massive pressure to cooperate.
Most New York criminal defense lawyers handle state court drug cases, but federal mandatory minimums for death-resulting charges call for 20 years to life, federal RICO carries 20 years per count, and federal conspiracy law makes you responsible for millions of doses if they were reasonably foreseeable.
When your facing charges in 19-defendant Washington Square Park operation, or Bronx daycare case involving 11 kilograms and death of toddler, or Gorilla Stone Bloods RICO conspiracy spanning decades, or Brooklyn major trafficker case with 85 pounds seized, or death-resulting charges for fentanyl that killed three 19-year-olds, you need lawyer who understands federal conspiracy law and death causation standards.
We’ve defended New York federal cases in Manhattan and Brooklyn involving international trafficking conspiracies, death-resulting prosecutions, gang RICO cases, and major trafficker operations. We understand how Southern and Eastern District prosecutors prove death causation through toxicology and witness testimony, and we know which New York federal judges are receptive to minor participant reductions versus judges who impose guideline sentences at high end.
We’ve successfully negotiated cooperation agreements that reduced life exposure to 10-15 years for defendants who cooperated before trial providing information about Dominican Republic or Mexico suppliers. We’ve challenged death-resulting causation through expert toxicology testimony showing multiple contributing factors. We’ve contested drug quantity calculations in multi-kilogram cases, litigated Fourth Amendment issues involving wiretap authorizations and search warrants, and won departures for defendants with extraordinary circumstances warranting below-guideline sentences.
19-defendant operation – 45 years daycare case – 35 years RICO – Death-resulting charges – Life exposure
Former federal prosecutors – Southern & Eastern Districts – Available 24/7
Don’t talk to DEA, FBI, NYPD, or federal task force agents without experienced New York federal criminal defense counsel! If your one of 19 defendants in Washington Square Park operation, if Bronx daycare charges involve 11 kilograms and death of child, if Gorilla Stone Bloods RICO threatens 35 years, if 85 pounds seized in Brooklyn creates major trafficker charges, if death-resulting allegations carry mandatory 20 years to life, if 3.4 million counterfeit pills seized creates crushing exposure, if open-air market operated for years causing multiple deaths – call us IMMEDIATELY before making statements!
Every word you say gets used to prove conspiracy membership, attribute millions of doses to you, establish death causation, and demonstrate your knowledge of organizational scope. With 45-year sentences for daycare trafficking, 35 years for gang leadership, 22 years for death of police officer, and mandatory 20 years to life for death-resulting charges, you need lawyers who’ve defended hundreds of New York federal drug trafficking cases in Manhattan and Brooklyn! Call us NOW!
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NJ CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS