An alleged fentanyl dealer from Miller Place has pleaded guilty to charges relating to the overdose death of a Patchogue woman and the near-fatal overdose of a baby in Lake Grove, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Friday.
Robert Mauro, 40, faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminal sale of a controlled substance in connection with the Jan. 29 death of a 31-year-old Patchogue woman and the acute fentanyl poisoning of an 11-month-old infant.
The woman had purchased narcotics from Mauro the day before, prosecutors said. Despite the victim expressing concerns about the drug’s strength, Mauro assured her it was safe, according to text messages the district attorney said was recovered by investigators.
Tierney said an autopsy revealed the cause of death was acute intoxication from a combination of fentanyl and other drugs, including xylazine, a powerful sedative.
The investigation showed that two days before the woman purchased the narcotics from Mauro, she texted him to inform him that she had not used heroin in over a year and was concerned about the substance she was going to buy, the district attorney said.
The victim texted, “I’m not trying to drop dead,” and then asked, “Is it really strong? Should I be concerned?” according to Tierney.
Mauro replied, the district attorney said, that “lol u will b fine” and that he would sell her a “non-fenty” mix, meaning narcotics without any fentanyl.
That same day Mauro told an unidentified purchaser that his product was so strong that it put him out for a couple of hours, Tierney said.
Earlier that month — on Jan. 13 — an 11-month-old infant in Lake Grove suffered acute fentanyl poisoning, causing to turn blue with his eyes rolled toward the back of his head and to have extreme difficulty breathing, authorities said.
The baby, referred to as “Baby Doe” by Tierney, was taken to the hospital and needed several doses of Narcan to survive.
The child’s father, James Carr, was arrested on the same day and later indicted by a grand jury for second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Carr had purchased fentanyl from Mauro days earlier, the district attorney said.
Authorities said that during a search of Mauro’s home on Feb. 20, they recovered drugs and evidence of drug sales. Phone records examined by investigators revealed Mauro was aware of the potency of the narcotics he was selling, the district attorney said.
Tierney called the case “an anomaly” because law enforcement cannot typically charge drug dealers with manslaughter.
“When it comes to addressing the devastating impact of drug overdoses, prosecutors can only work within the framework of the laws as they currently stand,” he said. “It is therefore imperative that that we pass a ‘Death by Dealer’ statute to ensure that we are holding all drug dealers accountable for their actions when a death occurs, not just in limited circumstances.”
Mauro is expected to be sentenced to five to 15 years behind bars when he returns to court on Dec. 10, Tierney said.
Top photos: Suffolk County District Attorney’s office (inset of Robert Mauro) and Unsplash stock photo.
