Charlotte Man Sentenced to 4 ½ Years for Distributing Heroin Following Overdose Death of Ft. Bragg Soldier

Press Release

RALEIGH, N.C. – Cory Dean Maieritsch, 33, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 54 months in prison for distribution of heroin.  Maieritsch pled guilty to the single-count Indictment on March 1, 2021.    

According to court records and statements made during hearings, on the morning of December 10, 2015, a U.S. Army specialist was discovered deceased in his barracks on Ft. Bragg.  Toxicology confirmed overdose by heroin and fentanyl.  In the room, investigators recovered 16 empty glassine bags of the type commonly used to package single doses of those substances, with some bags labeled “Crazy Samurai,” and others labeled “Killing Time.”  The U.S. Army Criminal Investigatory Laboratory (USACIL) tested residue from the bags, finding that the Crazy Samurai bags contained heroin and that the Killing Time bags contained acetyl fentanyl. 

A friend of the deceased identified the defendant Cory Maieritsch as the likely supplier of the drugs.  Investigators reviewed the deceased’s cell phone communications and discovered extensive text message conversations about drugs with Maieritsch.  Specifically, on December 9, 2015, the deceased requested four bags of heroin just before 9:00 a.m.  After some discussion about price and delivery, Maieritsch texted within the hour that he was waiting outside of the barracks.  Maieritsch delivered two additional bags during his lunch break from work, following a second request from the deceased.   Finally, text messages showed that Maieritsch made a third delivery that evening, following the deceased’s request for eight additional bags.  While the discussion over text concerned the purchase of heroin, the USACIL testing showed that some of the bags of purported heroin contained fentanyl, which is significantly more potent.  A USACIL latent print examiner identified Maieritsch’s fingerprints on two of the recovered glassine bags. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.


Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00197-D.


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