Bartonsville Couple Charged in Fentanyl Overdose Deaths Across Three States

A couple from Bartonsville has been charged with providing drugs that led to three overdose deaths, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

James P. Cullen V, 30, and Michelle L. Ferranti, 31, were indicted on Dec. 17 on multiple charges, including three counts of distributing fentanyl that caused deaths.

Officials say the couple sent fentanyl and heroin through the mail to almost every U.S. state and some foreign countries. Tragically, three people died from overdoses between October 2022 and February 2023—one in Vermont, one in Georgia, and one in Alaska. The victim in Alaska was a minor.

The charges were made public only after Cullen and Ferranti were arrested. They face other charges as well, including conspiracy, distributing fentanyl and heroin, and possessing the drugs with the intent to sell them.

Authorities say the couple got the drugs from partners in New Jersey, sold them on the dark web, and shipped them using fake names.

Both pleaded not guilty on Dec. 19, according to court records.

 

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