Lackawanna County Man Convicted For Selling Drugs That Killed Teen
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 9:00 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
SCRANTON, PA.- On Monday, November 18, 2024, following a four-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, a federal jury for the Middle District of Pennsylvania found Federico Rosario, 30, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, guilty on the charge of Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam and evidence presented at trial, Rosario, a known drug dealer residing in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2021. On August 11, 2021, Rosario sold cocaine laced with fentanyl to a 17-year-old who ingested the illicit narcotic and succumbed to a fatal overdose a short time later.
Rosario was also found guilty of three additional counts of selling cocaine to the same teen on July 10th, July 13th, and July 28th, 2021.
Prosecutors Present 19 Witnesses At Trial
During the trial, the prosecution presented testimony from nineteen witnesses, including expert witness testimony from a forensic pathologist, a forensic toxicologist, two forensic chemists, a forensic cellular phone examiner, a DNA expert, and an expert in drug trafficking investigations.
Following the testimony over the four-day trial, the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that Rosario sold the fentanyl-laced cocaine that caused the death of the 17-year-old victim.
   Following the jury’s findings on Monday, Judge Mariani accepted the verdict and filed it with the district court. When sentenced on a date to be determined by the court, Rosario faces a maximum of up to life in federal prison.
