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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Tarzana man accused of having distributed fentanyl in the form of fake Percocet pills that caused the deaths of an 18- year-old man and a 17-year-old girl pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges.
Dominick Alvarado, 23, entered his plea to two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. District Judge John Walter set sentencing for Jan. 29. Each of the two counts carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars and a fine of $1 million, prosecutors noted.
Alvarado sold fake pills laced with fentanyl to a group of young people in the parking lot of a Valencia shopping mall on July 11, 2022. Two days later, an 18-year-old Santa Clarita man was found dead by his brother, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Ten days after the first death, Alvarado sold fake pills containing fentanyl to another group of teenagers at the same mall where the prior transaction took place, his plea agreement states.
Following the second sale, a 17-year-old girl died of fentanyl poisoning after ingesting the narcotics and suffering an overdose in a Santa Clarita park, federal prosecutors said.