Somerset County Man Admits to Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in the Deaths of Four Individuals and Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine

TRENTON, N.J. - A Somerset County man admitted to distributing fentanyl and cocaine resulting in the deaths of four individuals, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced today.

Mauricio Gutierrez, 52, of Somerset, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi today in Trenton federal court, to a four-count Information charging him with two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

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

On the evening of June 22, 2022, Gutierrez distributed fentanyl on two separate occasions from his personal residence in Somerset, New Jersey which resulted in the deaths of four individuals. On September 27, 2023, Gutierrez was arrested by law enforcement and found to be in possession of cocaine that was stored in both his private vehicle and personal residence. Gutierrez admitted that even after becoming aware of the deaths of the four individuals in 2022, he intended to distribute the cocaine that was located by law enforcement at a later date.

Each of the four counts is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison, and the sentence of each count may run consecutively. Each count also carries a potential fine of the greater of $1,000,000, or twice the gross profits or other proceeds for the offense, and the defendant must be sentenced to a term of supervised release after any term of imprisonment imposed.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2026.

Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the North Brunswick Department, under the direction of Chief Joe Battaglia, and Franklin Township Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather, for their assistance.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The investigations leading to these charges is part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force's (OCDETF) operations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincent D. Romano and Christopher Fell of the Criminal Division in Newark.

###

Defense counsel: Anthony Pope, Esq. and Joseph Alter. Esq.