A Niagara Falls man was sentenced to 16 years and six months in federal prison after prosecutors said fentanyl he gave his girlfriend caused her fatal overdose in Tonawanda.
Michael Paonessa, 36, had been convicted of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York. Federal Judge Richard Arcara imposed the 198-month sentence Thursday.
Prosecutors said Paonessa and his girlfriend, identified only as R.A., went to dinner in downtown Buffalo on April 28, 2023. During the evening, she asked him for drugs and he promised to give her some, according to the federal investigation.
Paonessa had supplied her with drugs during their relationship, including twice in March and April 2023 when she survived overdoses, prosecutors said.
The couple left the restaurant at about 2 a.m. April 29 and returned to her apartment on Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda. She died of a fentanyl overdose early that morning after consuming fentanyl Paonessa gave her, according to prosecutors.
What happened after the overdose
Paonessa was at the apartment before and after her death and knew she had died, prosecutors said. He left at about noon without notifying authorities.
As he drove away, he sent a text to her phone saying he had just woken up and asking her to call him. Prosecutors said the message was intended to make it appear that he had not been with her the night before.
Her family had grown concerned when she did not answer calls or texts that morning. Family members arrived shortly after Paonessa left and found her body.
Drugs and cash recovered during the investigation
Law enforcement recovered about eight grams of cocaine, 23 grams of fentanyl, $16,795 in cash, drug paraphernalia and a loaded magazine from Paonessa on March 25, 2023, prosecutors said.
Investigators made two controlled drug purchases from him, on May 30 and June 7 of that year. When he was arrested in September 2023, officers recovered about 35 grams of fentanyl, nine grams of cocaine, cash and a digital scale.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Adler prosecuted the case. The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, North Tonawanda police and the Niagara County Drug Task Force.
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