A Southern California duo faces federal prison sentences for selling tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine on the dark web, resulting in the death of at least one teenager.
The then 20-year-old mastermind of the operation operated in the dark corners of the internet, keeping his identity a secret and scraping together enough money to buy things like multiple Mercedes-Benz cars and a gold-plated gun.
Brian McDonald, 23, of Van Nuys, and Ciara Curtario, 23, of Burbank, were indicted in May 2023 on eight counts, including conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine and fentanyl. McDonald pleaded guilty to two of these charges.
From April 2021 to May 2023, McDonald sold illegal drugs nationwide in exchange for virtual currency on websites including White House Market, ToRReZ, and AlphaBay, using various pseudonyms.
McDonald’s is said to have sold 20,000 tablets within the first month of its release in May, making an immediate profit of $160,000. According to federal prosecutors, McDonald hired Coultario and other co-workers for $10,000 a month to help package and sell the pills.
The profits from McDonald’s operations financed a lavish lifestyle.
He became interested in Mercedes-Benz and purchased several cars. He began buying Rolex watches and taking lavish vacations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He also equipped himself with weapons. The eight charges against McDonald include possessing two gold-plated semi-automatic firearms, a Glock and a Micro Draco pistol, the latter of which was a “ghost gun” without a serial number.
Evidence in the case against the San Fernando pair included a gold-plated firearm and cash.
(U.S. District Court)
Prosecutors said MacDonald bragged in the texts that he was a “real drug dealer” who sold “a yacht’s worth” of drugs. Tens of thousands of tablets were distributed throughout the United States, and he is said to have packaged them and stored them in his apartment.
And those exploits proved fatal for at least one young student.
A 16-year-old Michigan boy died after ingesting a fentanyl-laced pill from McDonald’s, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and is the leading cause of opioid-related deaths in the United States.
McDonald pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of a substance containing detectable amounts of fentanyl and cocaine, along with possession of a firearm in a drug trafficking operation. The drug sale charge carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and the charge of possession of a firearm for the purpose of drug sale carries a consecutive term of five years in prison.
U.S. prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 21 years in prison, including paying $21,598.81 in restitution. Prosecutors say the proposed sentence reflects the harm he caused.
In a separate sentencing memorandum, MacDonald’s defense argued that he should be given a lenient punishment given that he was only 20 to 22 years old at the time of the crime. His mother and grandmother wrote biographies on McDonald’s behalf, citing his troubled family history of homelessness, abuse and foster care.
Ms. Curtario filed the plea agreement under seal. Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald is overseeing sentencing hearings for McDonald on Monday and Curtario on Jan. 13.
