A couple from Bartonsville is accused of selling drugs that caused three overdose deaths, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Monday, Dec. 23.
James P. Cullen V, 30, and Michelle L. Ferranti, 31, were charged on Dec. 17 with eight crimes, including distributing fentanyl that led to the deaths.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Cullen and Ferranti allegedly sent fentanyl and heroin through the mail to almost every state in the U.S. and even to some other countries. Tragically, three people in Vermont, Georgia, and Alaska overdosed and died between October 2022 and February 2023. One of the victims in Alaska was a minor.
The charges remained secret until the couple was arrested. They also face charges for conspiracy to distribute drugs, selling fentanyl and heroin, and possessing the drugs with the intent to sell them.
Authorities say the couple got the drugs from associates in New Jersey, sold them on the dark web, and shipped them under fake names.
Both Cullen and Ferranti pleaded not guilty to the charges on Dec. 19, according to court records.