Sullivan County Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 200 Months In Prison For Overdose Of 26-Year-Old Woman

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that STEVEN JONES was sentenced to 200 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas for his distribution of heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the death of Jamie Elliott, a 26-year-old woman from Cochecton, New York.  Today’s sentencing followed JONES’s guilty plea on November 29, 2021.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Steven Jones sold the fentanyl-laced heroin that killed Jamie Elliott, a 26-year-old mother.  Even after Jones’s drugs killed Jamie Elliott, he continued to peddle dangerous opioids.  This senseless tragedy could have been avoided, and we will continue to seek lengthy prison terms for those who poison others and add to the death toll of the opioid epidemic.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings: 

On June 1, 2018, the defendant sold fentanyl-laced heroin stamped “Dorney Park,” to Elliott, the mother of one of the defendant’s children.  Ms. Elliott was found dead inside her bedroom the following morning.  An autopsy conducted following Ms. Elliott’s death revealed that she had died from a lethal dose of fentanyl.  New York State Police (“NYSP”) investigators recovered additional bags of “Dorney Park” fentanyl-laced heroin in Ms. Elliott’s clothing. 

Facebook Messenger messages reflected that Ms. Elliott had purchased narcotics from JONES the evening before her death.  The day Ms. Elliott’s death was discovered, the defendant deactivated his Facebook account.  But the defendant did not stop selling dangerous drugs.  Shortly before his September 2, 2018, arrest the defendant obtained 500 more glassine envelopes of heroin for sale. 

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In addition to the prison term, JONES, 37, of Monticello, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the NYSP in connection with this investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Coffman is in charge of the prosecution.