12 Years In Prison For Reston Man Who Admits To Selling Drugs

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A Reston man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 12 years in prison for selling fentanyl to a customer who later died of an overdose, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.

Peter Andrew Romm, 36, of Reston, made frequent trips to Baltimore in order to buy heroin and fentanyl, which he then sold in Northern Virginia, according to court documents. The drugs were sold in two forms: folded in slips of paper and encased in small plastic capsules.

Court documents identified one of Romm's customers as N.G., who bought fentanyl on Oct. 7, 2019, from Tyler Huston, who acted as a middleman for Romm. After consuming the drug, N.G. suffered a fatal overdose and his body was found the next day in his home.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that N.G. had died of acute fentanyl poisoning, according to a release. Text messages found on N.G.'s phone revealed that Huston had suffered a nonfatal overdose after taking drugs provided by Romm. The overdose occurred before Huston sold N.G. the drugs that led to his death, according to court documents.

“The defendant’s fentanyl trafficking significantly endangered our communities and caused victim N.G. to suffer a tragic overdose,” said Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a release. “While no prosecution can bring victim N.G. back to his family and loved ones, we hope that this case has brought some measure of peace and closure to them, all of whom deserve justice and healing for their devastating loss.”

Romm was arrested Feb. 11, 2020, as he was traveling to Northern Virginia from Baltimore. He was in possession of approximately 75 capsules of fentanyl, according to court documents. After his arrest, Romm told police he was selling fentanyl in Northern Virginia and that he sold the drug to N.G. through a middleman. Even though police told Romm during the interview that N.G. had died of an overdose, they arrested Romm again eight days later when he was traveling back from Baltimore. Police say he had 72 capsules of fentanyl in his vehicle.

As part of a plea agreement, Romm pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of distribution of fentanyl, according to court documents. He also admitted that the drugs he had sold resulted in N.G.'s fatal overdose.

Donnetta Ferguson, Romm's girlfriend, was in the vehicle when he was arrested on Feb. 11, 2020. She and Huston pleaded guilty to charges in connection to their roles in the conspiracy.