American Idol season 6 alum Antonella Barba could spend at least a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to possession of 400 grams or more of fent***l with intent to distribute in federal court in Virginia Tuesday.
American Idol’s Antonella Barba Allegedly Caught Delivering Drugs
USA Today reports:
The guilty plea carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to a plea agreement filed in federal court. She could face a possible life sentence and up to $10 million in fines, as well as asset forfeiture, according to the agreement.
Antonella was originally charged with selling or intending to sell 100 grams or more of h*****, according to Virginia court records. She refuted those charges. But then the state charges were replaced by federal charges of possession with intent and conspiracy, according to court records.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl James Mitchell declined to comment on the plea agreement, as did defense attorney James Broccoletti.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, police started investigating her boss in September 2018 after receiving a tip he was a source of “kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin.”
The investigation came to a head when officers received information Justin Michael Isaac, of California, would be traveling from Washington, D.C., to Norfolk on Oct. 11, 2018, to make a delivery. While Isaac was on his way, however, he told another person on the phone he would be sending a woman to deliver the drugs.
Investigators staked out the stash house in the 500 block of Duke Street about 10 p.m. that night. They eventually spotted a vehicle parked nearby with its headlights on and a lone woman inside.
After about 20 minutes, at 11:05 p.m., investigators approached the car to find Barba in the driver’s seat and a shoe box on the front passenger floorboard. The box contained 830.9 grams of fen****l.
According to a Virginian-Pilot analysis, using Drug Enforcement Administration statistics, that is enough f******l to kill 415,000 people. The DEA claims 2 milligrams — or 0.002 grams — of f******l is lethal to most people.
