U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Georgia Nicole Dean, 37, to 12 years in prison on Monday for distributing heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news release.

According to court documents, on Aug. 22, 2019, Dean drove to the victim’s residence in Coarsegold and sold heroin to him for a small amount of cash. The victim used the heroin that night, overdosed, and died.

In January, Dean, also a Coarsegold resident, pleaded guilty to the charge. She had faced a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars.

Second Defendant Pleads Guilty

A federal grand jury in Fresno indicted Dean and another Coarsegold woman, Ashley Michelle Hill, on the drug charges in November 2019.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office told GV Wire that Hill pleaded guilty on March 16 and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 13.

DEA, Local Law Enforcement Investigated Case

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fresno Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Kathleen A. Servatius were the prosecutors.