Meriden Man 'Cheese' Pleads Guilty in New Haven to Trafficking 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Faces Up to 40 Years
William Burruss, also known as "Cheese," 27, of Meriden, Connecticut, pleaded guilty on October 26 in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut, before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan announced. Burruss, who formerly resided in New Haven, faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years when sentenced — a date that has not been scheduled — and is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
According to court documents and statements made in court, after members of the FBI's Safe Streets Gang Task Force developed evidence that Burruss was selling fentanyl in and around New Haven, investigators made two controlled purchases from him in June 2025. Burruss was arrested on September 9, 2025, after investigators arranged a controlled purchase of approximately 84 grams of fentanyl from Burruss in Hamden.
The matter was investigated by the FBI's Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan Guevremont and Christopher Lembo. The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159; HSTF New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF and other federal agencies together with the Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于 Connecticut 州 New Haven 的 Richard C. Lee 联邦法院，本案在此认罪。联邦司法中心供图，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in New Haven, Connecticut, where Burruss pleaded guilty. Photo by the Federal Judicial Center, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
