Bronx daycare owner Grei Mendez sentenced to 45 years after toddler’s fentanyl death
Bronx daycare owner sentenced to 45 years
A former daycare owner in the Bronx has been sentenced to 45 years after pleading guilty to several drug charges. The charges stem from the death of a 1-year-old who was exposed to fentanyl at the daycare. FOX 5 NY's Arthur Chi'en reports.
BRONX - A former Bronx daycare owner has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after a toddler died from ingesting fentanyl in September 2023.
In addition to the prison sentence, the U.S. Attorney's Office sentenced the owner, Grei Mendez, to five years of supervised release.
"No punishment can make up for a child lost, but today’s sentence sends the message that this Office and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to bring to justice anyone who uses children as a shield in the drug trade," Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said.
Mendez pleaded guilty in October to charges including conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.
In October, her husband, Felix Herrera-Garcia, was sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges and causing bodily harm.
The backstory:
Two men have pleaded guilty to charges related to the fentanyl poisoning of four children, one of whom died, at a Bronx daycare center last year.
According to authorities, Felix Herrera Garcia, 35, and Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, both of the Bronx, admitted their roles in a drug conspiracy that resulted in the fentanyl poisoning of four children under the age of three at the Divino Nino Day Care Center on September 15, 2023.
The poisoning led to the death of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici, while three other children suffered serious injuries.
When police investigated the facility afterward, they found bags of fentanyl hidden beneath a trap door in the children's play area.
NYPD discovers 'trap door' with fentanyl at site of Bronx daycare where 1-year-old died
Photos shared by police show bags full of powder inside the "trap floor," a few steps away from a shelf of children’s toys.
When Garcia's trial was supposed to begin, he instead decided to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury, possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death, and possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in serious bodily injury. Each charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, with the potential for life imprisonment.
Paredes also pled guilty to conspiring to distribute narcotics and acknowledged that his actions caused death and serious bodily injury. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life in prison.
Authorities say that from October 2022 to September 2023, the pair had hidden large quantities of fentanyl including more than 10 kilograms of narcotics, in secret compartments beneath the daycare's playroom floor. Despite the presence of young children, the daycare served as a front for their illegal activities.
The Source: This article contains information from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York.