Rutland Woman Sentenced To Prison For Distribution Of Crack Cocaine
Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 6:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BURLINGTON, VT.- On Thursday, November 21, 2024, Stephanie Horvath, 39, of Rutland, Vermont, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss to 29 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for her previously entered guilty plea to Distribution of Crack Cocaine.
Horvath had previously appeared in U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty to selling crack cocaine to a confidential informant during a controlled buy under the observation of law enforcement officers in June 2023 in Rutland, Vermont.
According To U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest
According to U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest, beginning in late 2017 and early 2018 and continuing until her arrest in the current criminal case in August 2023, Horvath acted as a middle-level drug dealer for a rotating group of illicit narcotics dealers who were armed and dangerous. Horvath was involved in the distribution of crack cocaine and a heroin/fentanyl mixture at the Highlander Motel located in Rutland, Vermont.
Horvath would distribute the illicit narcotics herself, as well as having others distribute drugs from her motel room. During the investigation that ultimately led to Horvath’s arrest, five controlled buys were conducted by the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force from Horvath’s motel room between December 2022 and June 2023.
Task Force records also indicated in November 2022, Horvath acquired a large supply of cocaine and a heroin/fentanyl mixture from another drug supplier that resulted in a violent assault on one of her associates.
U.S. Attorney Kerest commended the investigative work of the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the successful prosecution of Horvath.
