Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Patrick Carroll, the Commissioner of the New Rochelle Police Department (“NRPD”), announced the arrest of and unsealing of an indictment against FRANKIE BEQIRAJ charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and alprazolam. The indictment alleges that heroin distributed by BEQIRAJ and his co-conspirators resulted in the deaths of Robert Vivolo and Leonides Madrid.
BEQIRAJ was presented in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara C. Moses today and ordered detained. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim stated: “As alleged in the Indictment, Frankie Beqiraj worked with others to sell a whole range of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and alprazolam. As alleged, two young people are dead, victims of Beqiraj’s alleged heroin dealing and of the opioid epidemic that is sweeping the country. Thanks to the exceptional work of our partners at the New York City Police Department, the New Rochelle Police Department, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Beqiraj will be held accountable for the drugs he allegedly peddled and the tragic deaths that resulted.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill stated: “The defendant in this case faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison – and a maximum of life behind bars – after investigators linked the heroin that he distributed to two overdose deaths, one in the Bronx and one in New Rochelle. It is the latest example of our commitment to holding drugs dealers criminally responsible. I want to thank the NYPD and the New Rochelle PD investigators, as well as the Southern District, for their work on this case.”
NRPD Commissioner Patrick Carroll stated: “The arrest and indictment of Frankie Beqiraj, holding him accountable for the death of New Rochelle resident Leonides Madrid, is an example of the New Rochelle Police Department’s commitment to fight against the opioids epidemic that our community faces today. Working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners, the NYPD, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Attorney sends a strong message to drug dealers that we will do all we can to arrest and prosecute those selling drugs in our community.”
As alleged in the Indictment against BEQIRAJ [1]:
From July 2016 up to January 2017, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, FRANKIE BEQIRAJ and others conspired to sell one kilogram and more of heroin, as well as cocaine, oxycodone, and alprazolam. The use of heroin distributed by BEQIRAJ and his co-conspirators resulted in the deaths of Robert Vivolo, 25, of the Bronx, New York, on October 21, 2016, and of Leonides Madrid, 28, of New Rochelle, New York, on January 9, 2017.
FRANKIE BEQIRAJ, 27, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD, the NRPD, and the Westchester County Overdose Response Initiative. Mr. Kim thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the investigation.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
