Marcus Randall, 39, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Dec. 16, 2020, Randall sold fentanyl pills to a victim who later ingested the pills, resulting in her overdose death.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Kern County Probation Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca are prosecuting the case.

Randall is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Randall faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $1 million. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

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