Lake Elsinore man sentenced to two decades in prison for selling fentanyl to fatal overdose victim

A Lake Elsinore man has been sentenced to two decades in prison after he distributed fentanyl to another man who fatally overdosed on the drug in 2022.

Sergio Maya, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi in a Los Angeles court after he pleaded guilty in February to one federal count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to a statement from the United States Attorney's Office.

According to prosecutors, Maya met the victim on the morning of May 26, 2022 near a Lake Elsinore apartment where he knowingly sold the man fentanyl. He used the fentanyl later that day and suffered a fatal overdose, the statement says.

"The recklessness of this defendant resulted in the victim's untimely death and his loved ones in mourning," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. "Today's 20-year prison sentence sends a message to drug dealers who kill their customers that my office will seek and obtain the stiffest penalties under the law."

Twenty years is the maximum possible penalty under federal law for the charges, according to the DOJ statement.

Both the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in the investigation.

"We are deeply appreciative of our ongoing partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office in combatting perpetrators who distribute deadly fentanyl within our community," said Riverside County District Attorney Michael A. Hestrin. "Our collaboration with the U.S. Attorney's Office on cases incorporating federal statues often allows for more significant prison sentences for this dangerous criminals."