Five charged in heroin overdose deaths
Five area men, including a Bridgeville man, have been charged with the distribution of heroin that resulted in the January 2015 fatal overdose deaths of two men and one woman, according to the U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton.
Court records do not release the names of the deceased.
According to court records, Anthony Micheli, 22, of Bridgeville, was indicted on charges with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin on or about Jan. 15, 2015. The indictment charges that the distribution resulted in the serious bodily injury and death of the heroin user. Micheli could face a maximum total sentence of at least 20 years and up to life in prison and a $1 million fine.
One indictment charges Richard Toland, 56; Edward Skrine, 58, and Anthony McCullough, 54, all of Pittsburgh, with conspiring to distribute and distributing heroin resulting in serious bodily injury and death on Jan. 25, 2015, as well as distributing heroin on other occasions. The indictment, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney, also charges Toland with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and with the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon between January 2015 and Feb. 27, 2015. Toland has six prior drug trafficking convictions, plus a prior conviction for aggravated assault. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of at least 20 years and up to life in prison.
Also indicted was Antonio Rutherford, 26, of Pittsburgh. He is charged with possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of heroin resulting in serious bodily injury and death; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon from January 2015 to Feb. 9, 2015. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of at least 25 years and up to life in prison and a fine up to $1.5 million.
The Scott Township Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted investigations that lead to the indictments.