SAN DIEGO—An Ocean Beach man was sentenced Jan. 13 to more than 15 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl that caused another man’s fatal overdose.
Alexander Michael Randise, 29, pleaded guilty to providing fentanyl-laced pills that caused the death of 30-year-old Tyber Joseph Lustig.
According to Randise’s plea agreement, he provided four counterfeit M-30 pills laced with fentanyl to Lustig on Dec. 11, 2021, which caused the victim’s death.
Prosecutors say Randise had been selling fentanyl-laced pills to Lustig and other people for at least a year leading up to Lustig’s death. On one occasion when he sold Lustig pills, Randise told him that he needed to “be careful” because the pills were “[really] strong,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
One of the defendant’s homes was searched last year and police seized around 680 counterfeit pills, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Lustig pleaded guilty to a distribution of fentanyl count and was sentenced Friday to 188 months in prison.
“Fentanyl has taken so many lives. Our community lost another bright and extremely talented young man to this epidemic,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement.
“We stand together with our law enforcement partners in stating directly: If you choose to sell drugs and a death results, you will be held accountable for that death,” he said.
