Overdose Death In Milford Leads To Guilty Plea: Feds

MILFORD, CT — Anthony Amato, 31, of Milford, has pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin in regard to the overdose death of a 28-year-old in 2019, federal officials said.

Amato has been detained since his federal arrest on September 10, 2019. He will be sentenced on March 30 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 26, 2019, the Milford Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded to a Milford rooming house on a report of a drug overdose at the location, officials said.

Inside the residence, a 28-year-old male was pronounced deceased. At the scene, investigators interviewed witnesses and collected evidence related to narcotics use, including needles and wax folds, some of which contained suspected heroin, officials said.

"The investigation revealed that the overdose victim and Amato, who resided in another room in the rooming house, were together in the afternoon of August 24, 2019. On August 29, 2019, a court-authorized search of Amato’s room revealed multiple ripped wax folds and other narcotics-related evidence. Some of the wax folds were marked with the same stamp as the wax folds found in the victim’s room. Laboratory analysis of the wax folds revealed fentanyl and heroin residue.
Subsequent review of text communications between Amato and the victim revealed that Amato provided the victim with heroin in August 24, 2019," federal authorities said in a news release.

Amato’s criminal history includes multiple convictions for narcotics-related charges in Connecticut, including a conviction for sale of narcotics for which he is currently on state probation.