Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, a federal jury convicted Marlon Thompson on all four counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin and cocaine base, the distribution of fentanyl that caused the death of the victim Fredrick Koenig, 36, on Christmas Day 2018, and illegal possession of firearms. The verdict followed a six-day trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. When sentenced, Thompson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Rodney J. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Commissioner (SCPD), and Raymond A. Tierney, Suffolk County District Attorney, announced the verdict.
“Today, the defendant was held accountable for trafficking fentanyl that caused the tragic overdose death of a young man on Long Island,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The large quantities of fentanyl the defendant distributed all over Suffolk County had a devastating impact on the community, including by taking this young man away from his family too soon. This Office, together with our federal and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute those who contribute to this serious problem.”
“The overwhelming number of drug poisonings throughout the United States is a driving force for DEA to bring those responsible to justice,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Tarentino. “Today’s conviction emphasizes the rippling effect of this crisis and its devastation of so many lives. This investigation is one example of our commitment to families who have lost loved ones and how we work every day to stop drug traffickers like Marlon Thompson.”
“This defendant was responsible for fueling addiction by trafficking powerful narcotics that led to the death of a Selden man,” stated SCPD Commissioner Harrison said. “We will never stop working together with our law enforcement partners to hold these dealers accountable as well as community groups to help the addicted get the assistance they need.”
“This case is a stark reminder of the tragic devastation that the opioid epidemic has inflicted regionally, and specifically upon Suffolk County,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. “My office will continue to work collaboratively with our State and Federal law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue and prosecute dealers whose illicit drugs have caused harm or death to others.”
The evidence proved that, from January 2017 through May 2019, the defendant conspired to distribute fentanyl, heroin and cocaine base throughout Suffolk County. On Christmas Day in 2018, the defendant supplied fentanyl to the victim, who suffered a fatal overdose at his parents’ home in Selden, New York. The defendant continued supplying fentanyl, heroin, and crack in Suffolk County for months after Koenig’s death. When Thompson was arrested, law enforcement recovered fentanyl and drug packaging materials from his basement bedroom, and also seized three illegal guns and ammunition from Thompson’s storage unit. The government’s evidence included testimony from Thompson’s co-conspirators, text messages between the defendant and drug dealers discussing their illicit business, drug paraphernalia, and thousands of dollars of bundled U.S. currency derived from the drug sales seized from the defendant’s residence.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Alessi, Gabriel Park and Catherine M. Mirabile are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Adam Bernard.
The Defendant:
MARLON THOMPSON
Age: 41
Selden, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-596 (S-1) (JMA)