American Idol season 6 alum Antonella Barba has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for possession of nearly two pounds of the opioid fentanyl with intent to distribute it.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Arenda Wright Allen in U.S. District Court, Norfolk, Virginia, during an hour-long hearing Thursday morning.
According to courtroom minutes, Antonella was also ordered to undergo five years of supervised release once her sentence ends. Her father, Vincenzo Barba, was the only witness identified in the minutes.
Antonella plead guilty to possession of 400 grams or more of fent***l with intent to distribute in federal court in Virginia back in July.
The defendant “was working as a courier for a large scale drug ring last year when she was arrested in Norfolk, according to a court document unsealed on in July.” According to the document, she was attempting to deliver almost two pounds of fentanyl.
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. While out of jail on bond awaiting trial in state court, Antonella was taken back into custody
Antonella’s supporters, blame her downfall on American Idol. Barba’s supporters claim her participation on American Idol “brought about a detrimental change” in her life. Her move to Los Angeles to following her stint on Idol “was a recipe for disaster,” her friend K.J. wrote in a letter to the court. When she was unable to “to achieve the results she wanted, it was devastating to her,” K.J. wrote. Additionally, Barba’s mother wrote that when American Idol happened, “the world intruded and interrupted (Barba’s) dream of a career in architecture. (This is) where it all went wrong.”
