After Fatal Heroin Overdose, 3 East End Drug Dealers Indicted: DA

EAST END, NY — Three drug dealers were indicted Monday and two charged with manslaughter after allegedly causing a fatal heroin overdose on the East End, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said.

Sini and members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s East End Drug Task Force announced the unsealing of the indictment at the Arthur M. Cromarty Criminal Courthouse in Riverhead. The indictment is the third in Suffolk County history to bring manslaughter charges against alleged drug dealers in connection with a fatal overdose, Sini said.

John Brophy, 49, of Riverhead, was charged with three counts of third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony; three counts of third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; second degree manslaughter, a felony; fourth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; and fourth degree conspiracy, a felony, Sini said.

Lashawn Lawrence, 35, of Greenport, was charged with second degree manslaughter, a felony, and fourth degree conspiracy, a felony, Sini said.

Bryan Hale, 52, of Flanders, was charged with third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony; third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; fourth degree conspiracy, a felony; first degree criminal nuisance, a felony; and seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, Sini said.

On Sept. 19, 2018, the Riverhead Town Police Department responded to the scene of a fatal overdose on Sweezey Avenue in Riverhead; a preliminary investigation revealed that the victim overdosed on heroin or a mixture of heroin and other substances, Sini said.

The East End Drug Task Force immediately launched an investigation to determine who had supplied the victim with the narcotics.

Trough the investigation, it was determined that Brophy, along with Hale, had sold the drugs to the person who overdosed; further investigation revealed that Lawrence was Brophy’s supplier for the drugs, Sini said.

The East End Drug Task Force’s investigation revealed that Brophy was responsible for selling a potent mixture of heroin and fentanyl, supplied by Lawrence, that had caused several overdoses where victims were revived with Narcan, Sini said.The mixture was packaged in either purple or red waxed envelopes.

One overdose tied to Brophy took place on Sept. 14, 2018, during which the individual crashed his car into another vehicle on Main Street in Greenport and had to be revived by responding police officers from the Southold Police Department with Narcan, Sini said.

“The investigation revealed evidence of at least one occasion in which Brophy administered Narcan on one of his clients himself,” Sini said. “Think about that for a moment: You’re selling a product, your customer dies in front of you because your product is so potent, you have to administer Narcan on that person, and then you’re so depraved that you continue to sell that product.”

A forensic analysis of Brophy’s phone revealed an exchange between Brophy and Lawrence in which Brophy alerted Lawrence to the fact that the substance they are selling was causing overdoses, Sini said.

A text message sent from Brophy to Lawrence on Sept. 13, 2018, Sini said, read: “People r dropping I think it’s [fentanyl] we need to talk I don’t want anything to do with that.”

The investigation by the East End Drug Task Force revealed that despite their knowledge of the overdoses, both Brophy and Lawrence allegedly continued to sell the heroin-fentanyl mixture, Sini said.

“This is precisely why fentanyl is so dangerous and often lethal: The product is marketed as heroin but it’s cut by drug dealers with fentanyl, and it can be cut at different stages so drug dealers don’t necessarily know how much fentanyl is in the product,” Sini said. “They are playing a game of Russian roulette, but with other peoples’ lives.”

Brophy is alleged to have frequently sold the drugs out of an auto repair shop owned by Hale, located at 500 Lincoln Street in Riverhead, with Hale’s knowledge and assistance, Sini said.

On Oct. 5, 2018, a search warrant was executed by the East End Drug Task Force at the shop and on Brophy’s vehicle; Brophy was found in possession of a quantity of the heroin-fentanyl mixture and Hale was found in possession of oxycodone, Sini said. Lawrence was arrested on Feb. 6 at his home in Greenport, Sini said.

Brophy, Lawrence and Hale were arraigned on the indictment Monday by Suffolk County Court Judge Anthony Senft Jr.

Bail was set for Brophy at $125,000 cash or $250,000 bond. Bail was set for Lawrence at $200,000 cash or $400,000 bond. Bail was set for Hale at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond.

If convicted of the top count, Brophy and Lawrence face a maximum sentence of seven and one-half to 15 years in prison and Hale faces a maximum sentence of up to nine years in prison.

“Currently in New York State, we do not have specific legislation that establishes responsibility for drug dealers when they cause death, so prosecutors and investigators have to be creative,” ini said. “While we will continue to be creative, we need better legislation, including a ‘death by dealer’ statute that holds drug dealers accountable when they kill people by selling.”

Brophy, Lawrence and Hale are due back in court on March 29.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tanya Rickoff, of the Narcotics Bureau.

“My office has made it very clear that we are going to have a two-pronged approach when it comes to the drug epidemic here in Suffolk County,” Sini said. “If you are a non-violent user who is suffering from a substance use disorder, we are going to use all our tools to get you into treatment and help you get on that road to recovery. But if you are a drug dealer pedaling poison in our communities and you are killing our residents, we are going to aggressively target you through a variety of investigative methods and, where appropriate, charge you with manslaughter to hold you accountable for the death that you cause.”

In August, 2016, in a first for New York State, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office indicted Roxy Headley Jr., 32, of Mastic Beach, on a charge of second degree manslaughter for selling heroin and fentanyl that caused a fatal overdose, Sini said. Headley pleaded guilty on March 2, 2018, and was sentenced on May 16, 2018, to 11 to 15 years in prison, Sini said.

In December, 2016, the DA's office indicted James Fava, 31, of Ronkonkoma, on a charge of second degree manslaughter in connection with a fatal overdose, Sini said. Fava was the first person in New York State to be convicted of manslaughter for causing a fatal overdose when he pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2017; he was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2018, to four to six years in prison, Sini said.