Rochester man going to prison for selling fentanyl that led to a death

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Herschel Dawson, 35, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of distribution of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 156 months in prison by U.S. Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew McGrath, who handled the case, stated that in April 2022, members of the Brockport Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office responded to the report of a fatal fentanyl overdose at a Gordon Street residence. After a thorough investigation by local law enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, into the circumstances of the overdose, Dawson was identified as the drug dealer responsible for distributing the fatal dose of fentanyl. The investigation, which included an undercover purchase, also determined that Dawson was engaged in drug dealing for several years prior to the overdose incident.

The sentence is the result of an investigation by the Brockport Police Department, under the direction of Chief Paul Wheat, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.