Florida Man Pleads Guilty In Opioid-Related Death of Leesburg Man

LEESBURG, VA — A Florida man pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin that resulted in the death of a Leesburg man in March 2016, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. John Jacob Stapleton, who previously lived in Northern Virginia, obtained illegal opioids that he and others distributed to customers within Loudoun County and elsewhere in the D.C. area, federal prosecutors said.

In March 2016, Stapleton distributed heroin that resulted in the death of someone identified by law enforcement as E.L., a former Loudoun County resident, according to court documents. A forensic toxicologist determined that E.L.'s blood and vitreous humor each contained a combination of morphine and 6-acetylmorhpine, and a forensic pathologist determined that E.L. died of heroin poisoning. Further investigation by law enforcement officials revealed that E.L. overdosed on heroin that another individual obtained directly from Stapleton, according to federal prosecutors.

Stapleton, who most recently lived in Fort Pierce, Florida, faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on April 17 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Law enforcement officials who worked on the case made the announcement about the plea last Friday after it was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.

The case was investigated by the Washington Field Office's Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force, which is composed of agents and task force officers from the Leesburg Police Department, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, the Fairfax County Police Department, the Prince William County Police Department, the Alexandria City Police, the Vienna Police Department, the Herndon Police Department, the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Homeland Security.