Member of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 19 ½ Years in Prison for Fentanyl Analogue Distribution and Money Laundering

An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 234 months in prison and five years of supervised release for the distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl analogues and money laundering.

According to court documents, Thomas Padovano, 52, of Newark, New Jersey, admitted that from approximately January 2014 through September 2020, he and other members of the drug trafficking organization agreed to import and distribute various controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, including fentanyl-related substances, methylone, and ketamine. Members of the conspiracy placed orders with a source in China and agreed to distribute, and did distribute, the controlled substances and analogues in New Jersey, both in bulk and in the form of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that contained fentanyl analogues. Padovano additionally admitted to having engaged in financial transactions aimed at concealing the origin and true ownership of more than $300,000 in drug proceeds.

"Mr. Padovano led a drug trafficking organization that imported and distributed massive amounts of dangerous opioids in New Jersey, and then he laundered the profits," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "These illegal narcotics destroy families and wreak havoc in the community. The Criminal Division will actively pursue offenders who distribute such poison in our neighborhoods."

"Today's sentence sends an important reminder: those who profit from trafficking deadly drugs and laundering the proceeds of their crimes will be held accountable," said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. "For years, Padovano helped lead an organization responsible for distributing massive quantities of fentanyl analogues and other dangerous controlled substances in New Jersey. This sentence - nearly twenty years in prison - reflects the devastating harm caused by that conduct and our office's unwavering commitment to dismantling the organizations that fuel the illegal drug trade."

"Padovano is behind bars for his direct role in unleashing the deadly scourge of fentanyl across America," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark Field Division. "This decisive outcome underscores HSI Newark's unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and our relentless pursuit of justice alongside our law enforcement partners."

The Newark Field Division of HSI led the investigation, with assistance from HSI in Philadelphia, the FBI Newark Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Newark Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New Jersey, New York and Kentucky, the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Chief Stephen Sola of the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit in the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra for the District of New Jersey.

The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section's (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF's Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.