Man Sentenced to Prison for Causing Opioid Overdose Deaths

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Canadian man living in Leesburg was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl that caused two deaths and one non-fatal overdose in 2016.

“Curry’s distribution of heroin and fentanyl in Leesburg carried grave consequences, causing at least three overdoses, including two overdose deaths,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The investigation and prosecution of opioid-related crimes continues to be a top priority for the Eastern District, and we remain steadfast in our pursuit of those who spread this poison in our communities.”

According to court documents, Joseph Riley Curry, 29, obtained heroin and fentanyl from sources of supply that he distributed to customers in Loudoun County. Drugs that Curry distributed killed two people in March 2016, and caused a third individual to experience an overdose that required medical intervention. In August 2017, Curry was arrested on a state felony distribution charge. While in custody, Curry ordered another individual to destroy evidence he thought might be used against him in a possible federal prosecution.

This matter was investigated by the Leesburg Police Department and the Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force – Northern Virginia which is composed of FBI Agents, and Task Force Officers from the Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Leesburg, Prince William County Police Departments, HSI, ATF, with assistance from the DEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Laboratory. This matter was brought to the attention of the task force by the Leesburg Police Department.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff, and Gregory C. Brown, Leesburg Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Peters prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-396.