Two Defendants Linked to Fatal Overdose – Second Overdose
Victim Revived by Medics
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in
Brooklyn charging Keith Wyche, Allen O’Neil and Kyron Graham, alleged members
of the Bloods street gang, with conspiracy to distribute and possession with
intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl on Staten Island. Wyche and O’Neil were also charged with
distribution of narcotics that caused death and serious bodily injury. The defendants were arrested today and are
scheduled to make their initial appearances this afternoon before United States
Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York, Gregory W. Ehrie, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, Newark Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill,
Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrests. Mr. Donoghue thanked the United States
Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for their substantial
assistance in the investigation, as well as the Richmond County District
Attorney’s Office.
“As alleged, the defendants sold large amounts of dangerous
narcotics, including pure fentanyl to unsuspecting buyers, for their own profit
and without concern for the deadly consequences of their actions,” stated
United States Attorney Donoghue.
“Together with the FBI and the NYPD, our Office is working tirelessly to
identify and prosecute those drug traffickers responsible for the opioid
crisis.”
“Today's arrests are a direct result of the hard work and
dedication shared between state, local and federal authorities in their efforts
to combat gang members who distribute dangerous drugs like heroin and fentanyl
in our communities,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ehrie. “This was a tragic incident which caused the
death of one individual and seriously injured another. The FBI and our partners will continue to
pursue investigations into individuals and groups who have furthered the
scourge of opioids in our communities.”
“Abuse of heroin and the deadly additive fentanyl has cut a
wide swath across our nation, affecting neighborhoods throughout New York City
and people in every walk of life,” stated NYPD Police Commissioner O’Neill. “To
combat this scourge, we look to not just make arrests, but to shut down the
supply and, ultimately, to save lives. NYPD detectives investigate every
overdose to determine how the drugs were obtained, and it was those efforts
that led to today’s charges. I commend the investigators in this case, and the
strong collaboration of the NYPD and our law enforcement partners, all of whom
are helping stem the opioid crisis.”
As alleged in court documents, between February 2017 and the
present, Wyche and O’Neil sold heroin and fentanyl on Staten Island almost
daily. Wyche and Graham shared a cell
phone from which they sent messages to buyers in the morning notifying them who
was selling narcotics that day. In some
instances, even though the buyer had sought to purchase heroin, Wyche and
O’Neil sold glassine envelopes containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl and,
on occasion, only fentanyl. They
regularly traveled to the Bronx to meet Graham to pick up supplies of narcotics
Wyche and O’Neil sold
drugs to at least two victims who experienced overdoses shortly after
purchasing the drugs, including an April 2017 sale that resulted in the death
of a Staten Island resident and the near fatal overdose of a second victim in
October 2017 in which medical personnel resuscitated the victim who had stopped
breathing.
The arrests were the result of a series of long-term
investigations by the NYPD’s Drug Overdose Task Force.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the
defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Wyche and O’Neil face a mandatory minimum
sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and Graham faces up to 20 years’
imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s
General Crimes Section. Assistant United
States Attorney James P. McDonald is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
KEITH WYCHE
Age: 34
Union, New Jersey
ALLEN O’NEIL
Age: 27
Somerset, New Jersey
KYRON GRAHAM
Age: 27
Bronx, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-MJ-862
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