A Long Beach man was found guilty by a jury Friday of distributing fentanyl-laced cocaine that resulted in the overdose deaths of two victims engaged to be married.
Stephen Johnson, 43, was found guilty in Los Angeles federal court of two counts of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and two counts of distribution of cocaine.
According to evidence presented at the four-day trial, the victims paid Johnson $240 on the night of May 24, 2023, and in exchange, he twice gave them cocaine. The victims then attended a concert in West Hollywood before returning to Johnson’s home about 3 a.m. on May 25, 2023, to pick up the remainder of their cocaine, which contained fentanyl.
The victims then returned to their residence in Brea, where they consumed the narcotics and suffered fatal overdoses.
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson scheduled an April 20 sentencing hearing, at which time Johnson will face between 20 years and life in federal prison, prosecutors said.