Current:Home > StocksNYC day care operator tried to cover up fentanyl operation before 1-year-old’s death, feds allege-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
NYC day care operator tried to cover up fentanyl operation before 1-year-old’s death, feds allege
View Date:2024-12-24 08:53:08
NEW YORK (AP) — The owner of a New York City day care center where a 1-year-old child died after being exposed to fentanyl took steps to cover up her involvement in a sprawling drug operation, even as medics rushed to treat several children in her care who were poisoned by the opioid, federal prosecutors said.
The day care owner, Grei Mendez, and a man who rented a room from her, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, were hit with new federal narcotics conspiracy charges Tuesday. They were previously charged in state court with murder of “depraved indifference” in the death of 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici.
Officials say they discovered a kilogram of fentanyl stored on top of playmats used by children who attended the Bronx day care center, as well as devices used to package and mix narcotics.
The fentanyl is believed to have sickened four children, including Dominici, who died Friday afternoon. Three others — ranging in age from 8 months to 2 years old — were hospitalized.
On Friday afternoon, Mendez, 36, discovered the young children were not waking up from nap time. She then made three calls, including two to her husband, before dialing 911, the criminal complaint alleged.
Surveillance footage showed him entering the Bronx apartment and whisking at least two full shopping bags out of the building through a back alley. Minutes later, emergency medical personnel arrived to find the children showing signs of opioid intoxication.
The phone calls, along with the apparent deletion of thousands of texts between Mendez and her husband, suggested an effort to cover up the narcotics operation inside the apartment, federal authorities alleged.
Mendez’s husband was not named in the complaint. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had spoken with police since the incident.
Brito, a 41-year-old tenant of the apartment and a cousin to Mendez’s husband, was charged alongside Mendez for his alleged role in the drug operations. New York City police said they recovered a kilogram press device inside the closet of an adjoining room occupied by Brito.
Both Mendez and Brito have denied knowing anything about drugs in the day care center. An attorney for Mendez, Andres Aranda, said his client was “terrified” upon discovering the unresponsive children and acted immediately to get them care.
A message left with Brito’s attorney wasn’t immediately returned.
The day care facility opened in January of this year. It passed both of its inspections, authorities said, including a surprise visit made by inspectors on Sept. 6.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Maine elections chief who drew Trump’s ire narrates House tabulations in livestream
- Former 2-term Republican Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist dies at 87
- 'It was surreal': Mississippi alligator hunters bag 14-foot, state record monster
- Kelly Rowland Gushing Over Blue Ivy's Work Ethic May Just Break Your Soul in the Best Possible Way
- Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women’s suffrage monument
- Indianapolis police say officer killed machete-wielding man
- Texans vs. Saints: How to watch Sunday's NFL preseason clash
- NASCAR playoffs: Meet the 16 drivers who will compete for the 2023 Cup Series championship
- Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
- 3 people are injured, 1 critically, in a US military aircraft crash in Australia, officials say
Ranking
- Prosecutors say some erroneous evidence was given jurors at ex-Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial
- Spain coach Jorge Vilda rips federation president Luis Rubiales over kiss of Jennifer Hermoso
- Scott Dixon earns masterful win in St. Louis race, stays alive in title picture
- Court-martial planned for former National Guard commander accused of assault, Army says
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- 8 US Marines remain in hospital after fiery aircraft crash killed 3 in Australia
- ‘He knew we had it in us’: Bernice King talks father Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring ‘dream’
- How Paul Murdaugh testified from the grave to help convict his father
Recommendation
-
3 Iraqis tortured at Abu Ghraib win $42M judgement against defense contractor
-
Environmental groups recruit people of color into overwhelmingly white conservation world
-
Steve Miller recalls late '60s San Francisco music having 'a dark side' but 'so much beauty'
-
How one Pennsylvania school bus driver fostered a decades-long bond with hundreds of students
-
Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
-
GM pauses production of most pickup trucks amid parts shortage
-
College football Week 0 winners and losers: Caleb Williams, USC offense still nasty
-
Clark County teachers union wants Nevada governor to intervene in contract dispute with district