28-Year-Old Morris Plains Man Sentenced To Prison For Selling Drugs That Caused The Death Of A Man
Monday, July 29, 2024, 6:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
WHIPPANY, NJ.- Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll reported that on Friday, July 26, 2024, Anthony Dello-Russo, 28, of Morris Plains, New Jersey, appeared in Morris County Superior Court and was sentenced to prison in connection with selling drugs to a Whippany man that caused his death.
During a court hearing on June 5, 2024, Dello-Russo pleaded guilty to the charges of first-degree Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death; and second-degree Possession of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute in connection with a 2023 fatal overdose.
On Friday, Morris County Superior Court Judge Ralph Amirata sentenced Dello-Russo on both charges to seven years in New Jersey State Prison and ordered Dello-Russo to serve five years of his term before becoming eligible for parole. As a condition of his sentence, Dello-Russo agreed to forfeit $51,788 in cash that was seized during his initial arrest.
The guilty plea and sentence stem from an investigation that began on February 16, 2023, when members of the Hanover Township Police Department responded to a residence in the Whippany section of the Township, reporting an unresponsive man. Upon arrival, Police Officers found a man, only identified as T.H., 28, of Whippany, deceased inside the home.
A subsequent autopsy performed by the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of T.H. was due to a combined toxicity of cocaine, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl.
During the ensuing investigation, Detectives determined that Dello-Russo sold and distributed the fentanyl-laced cocaine to T.H. on February 15, 2023, in Morris Plains, New Jersey, which ultimately led to T.H.’s death.
On December 8, 2023, Dello-Russo was taken into custody after Detectives located more than a half ounce of cocaine inside his residence and formally charged with narcotics offenses. On December 26, 2023, Dello-Russo was additionally charged with first-degree Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death and other related offenses.
