Colorado Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Providing Deadly Fentanyl to Teen

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Nathaniel David Corser, age 23, of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty today to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.

According to the plea agreement, on July 4, 2021, the defendant met a 19-year-old man at Cottonwood Creek Park in Colorado Springs for a drug deal they had arranged through text messages. At the park, the defendant sold the 19-year-old two blue pills with imprints which said “M” and “30.” Although the pills appeared to be prescription oxycodone pills, they actually contained fentanyl. Over the course of the next day, the victim ingested both pills. Late in the morning on July 5, the victim’s aunt discovered him dead in his bedroom. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy on July 6, 2021, and ruled his death was a result of fentanyl intoxication.

The plea agreement also states, after the young man’s death, officers found text messages on his phone which appeared to relate to him buying the pills that killed him. A Colorado Springs Police detective used the victim’s phone to communicate with the defendant, and arranged to buy five pills which he described as “30s.” After the transaction, the Colorado Springs Police Department Metro Crime Lab tested the five blue pills and determined they contained fentanyl. A search of the defendant’s apartment led to the discovery of 1,089 dosage units of 30mg morphine sulfate pills packaged in 13 small zip-top baggies with crosses on them, 108 dosage units of 200 mcg fentanyl buccal tablets in the manufacturer’s packaging, two blue tablets with “M” and “30” imprinted on them which contained fentanyl, one loaded semi-automatic 9mm handgun, and a second loaded 9mm magazine.

Judge Daniel D. Domenico presided over the plea hearing, and will sentence the defendant on December 20, 2022. Corser faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Metro, Vice, Narcotics, and Intelligence Division (Metro VNI). Assistant United States Attorneys Peter McNeilly and Alyssa Mance are handling the prosecution.

This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

CASE NUMBER: 21-cr-00331