A Snapchat drug dealer who sold a fentanyl-tainted pill that killed 20-year-old Alexandra Capelouto has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison and ordered to pay the family $5.8 million for her death.
The dealer filed for bankruptcy to avoid civil penalties, a tactic that the Capelouto family's attorney, Baruch Cohen, said is often used when a criminal faces such significant judgment.
However, a Southern California bankruptcy judge has ruled that the convicted dealer will pay the nearly six million dollars anyway, no matter how long it takes.
Cohen tells KNX News' Emily Valdez, "This is a landmark decision because it's the first time there's a bankruptcy judgment, a civil judgment punishing a criminal drug dealer."
The ruling states that once he is released from prison, the dealer's assets and income will be given to the Capelouto family until the debt is paid.
"If he buys property, we'll have a lien on it. If he gets employed, we'll garnish his wages. This judgment will be a permanent hemorrhoid," said Cohen. In essence, a financial life sentence.
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Alexandra's father, Matt Capelouto, said, "This sends a clear message that those who prey on our children, selling deadly drugs, will not only face criminal consequences but they will also be held financially accountable for the rest of their lives."
It only took half the pill to end Alexandra's life, and her father believes that until society acts decisively against fentanyl, everyone is at risk. "If you can't guarantee your child won't try one drug one time, you can't guarantee they will not be a victim of fentanyl poisoning," he said.
Proposition 36, which includes 'Alexandra's Law,' will be on the ballot in November and aims to impose harsher punishment for fentanyl dealers.
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