East Bay Man Sentenced In Walnut Creek Woman's Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

WALNUT CREEK, CA — A Pittsburg man was sentenced Monday to more than five years in federal prison for distributing pills laced with fentanyl that caused a Walnut Creek woman's overdose death, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The sentence was handed down in a federal courtroom in San Francisco by U.S. District Judge William Alsup.

George Pascoe, 23, of Pittsburg, pleaded guilty on Feb. 14 to the charge of distributing fentanyl. In his plea agreement, Pascoe admitted that on the night of June 16, 2020, a former high school classmate came to his house to buy oxycodone pills. He sold her 13 M30 pills, which lab tests later showed were laced with deadly fentanyl, federal prosecutors said.

"The next morning the victim was found dead in her bed, and the baggie containing the M30s that Pascoe sold to the victim was found in her bedroom," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Pascoe agreed in his plea agreement that the victim ingested the M30s he sold her and as a result suffered an overdose of fentanyl."

In a sentencing memorandum, federal prosecutors said that while Pascoe did not intentionally cause his high school classmate's death, her death was the product of Pascoe’s reckless disregard for her safety. Pascoe told the victim he would buy the oxycodone pills from a street source he referred to as his "other connect." Prosecutors pointed out that dealing in M30 oxycodone pills bought on the street is extremely dangerous.

According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, counterfeit M30 pills routinely contain fentanyl, and four out of every 10 such pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. A lethal dose can be minuscule, as little as two milligrams.

"Pascoe essentially 'played Russian roulette,' but it was the victim who suffered the fatal consequences of Pascoe's reckless, grossly negligent conduct," prosecutors said.

In addition to a 68-month prison term, Alsup ordered Pascoe to serve five years of supervision following release from federal prison and to pay restitution to the family of the victim for funeral costs.

The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the DEA and the Walnut Creek Police Department.