Federal Indictment Unsealed: Man Accused of Bringing Fentanyl Into NYC College Dorm as 'Pure Cocaine'; One Student Died, Prosecutors Allege Rape
NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors on Oct. 15 unsealed a superseding indictment charging two men in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy: in March, two students in a Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) dormitory in Manhattan lost consciousness after taking fentanyl falsely described as “pure cocaine”; one of them later died, and prosecutors allege the man who brought the drug raped her while she was unconscious.
According to the Associated Press, Moises Freire, 19, of the Bronx, is charged with participating in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy resulting in death and serious bodily injury, distributing narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury, and distributing a controlled substance with intent to commit rape. Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, of Queens, is charged in the conspiracy. Prosecutors say Freire was not a student at the school.
The indictment alleges that on March 18 Freire brought fentanyl obtained from Cabrera into the two students' dorm room, told them it was “pure cocaine” and urged them to take it; prosecutors say he had previously described the drug as fake and as poison. Both women lost consciousness almost immediately. Toxicology tests found fentanyl and no cocaine in their systems. Prosecutors allege Freire raped one of the women while she was unconscious and waited about 45 minutes before contacting campus security, telling responders the women had simply had too much to drink.
Campus security administered aid including naloxone (Narcan), and both women were taken to Manhattan hospitals. Prosecutors say the woman who was raped lapsed into a coma and died on March 21 from complications of acute fentanyl intoxication; the other student survived. Neither woman is identified in court papers.
Both defendants were first arrested in March and pleaded not guilty to an initial set of charges; they remain in federal custody and have not yet been arraigned on the superseding indictment. A third defendant, Harry Rosales Pino, pleaded guilty in September to a narcotics distribution conspiracy resulting in death and serious bodily injury and is set to be sentenced in December. If convicted, Freire and Peralta Cabrera face a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a possible life sentence.
Christopher Roberts, the DEA New York Task Force division special agent in charge, said in the prosecutors' statement that the allegations involve cruel deception and a grave assault, and that a college campus should be a place to learn and grow. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the two defendants allegedly supplied the fentanyl that killed one young woman and nearly killed another. Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Court papers do not name the school; according to the AP, a defense lawyer mentioned the Fashion Institute of Technology, part of the State University of New York, at a prior hearing. School officials did not immediately comment. (GSM, from Associated Press reporting)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 纽约时装技术学院（FIT）第27街校区街景（资料图）。Beyond My Ken 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，维基共享资源。
