Somerset Man Pleads Guilty To Distributing Fentanyl Resulting In Death
Saturday, September 13, 2025, 3:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
TRENTON, NJ.- On Wednesday, a 52-year-old Somerset County, New Jersey, man learned he would most likely die in federal prison when sentenced early next year after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl and cocaine, resulting in the fatal overdose of four individuals.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Mauricio Gutierrez, 52, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, New Jersey, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to a four-count federal information charging him with two counts of Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Fentanyl; and two counts of Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Cocaine.
Gutierrez Will Be Facing Up To 80 Years In Prison, When Sentenced
Following entering his guilty plea on Wednesday, Judge Quraishi accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for January 13, 2026. At that time, Gutierrez faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count, with a minimum of four years and a maximum of a lifetime of supervised release, as well as a $1 million fine. At sentencing, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offenses and Gutierrez’s prior criminal history. Additionally, a U.S. District Court Judge may order sentencing on each of the four counts to run consecutively.
According To Charging Information Filed With The Court
According to the charging information filed in the criminal indictment, during the evening hours of June 22, 2022, Gutierez sold fentanyl on two separate occasions from his Somerset, New Jersey, residence, which resulted in the fatal overdose deaths of four individuals.
On September 27, 2023, following an exhaustive investigation into the deaths of the four individuals. Law enforcement Investigator arrested Gutierez. During his arrest procedure, Gutierez was found to be in possession of fentanyl-laced cocaine that was located in his vehicle and inside his home. Gutierrez admitted that even after becoming aware of the deaths of the four individuals in 2022, he continued to, and intended to distribute the cocaine that was located by Investigators at a later date.
