BANGOR — An Avon woman was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to serve 30 months for each of two drug-related crimes. She will serve the sentences at the same time.
Brandice Dotolo. Franklin County Detention Center photo
Brandice “Brandi” Dotolo, 41, pleaded guilty Aug. 3 to charges of using and maintaining drug premises and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine. Initially she was scheduled to enter the plea agreement in July but it was changed to August.
Federal Judge Lance E. Walker also sentenced Dotolo to three years of supervised release for each of the two counts, which will also be served at the same time, according to court documents.
Dotolo had pleaded not guilty to the charges in December 2022.
According to federal prosecutors, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Farmington began a monthslong investigation in 2020 into suspected trafficking of illegal narcotics from 887 River Road in Avon. During the investigation, law enforcement surveilled the residence and observed a lot of vehicle traffic coming and going from the residence by individuals with known drug histories.
The investigation produced evidence that a drug trafficking organization was operating out of the residence and that the defendant was residing there with her boyfriend, according to authorities.
Law enforcement got a search warrant for the residence on July 17, 2020, resulting in the seizure of a large bag containing individual bags of white powder next to the bed where the defendant was located.
In total, 85.03 grams of a substance containing heroin and fentanyl was seized, as well as 40.09 grams of crack cocaine, $8,863 in cash and drug paraphernalia.
Dotolo admitted previously that the drug trafficking organization operated out of her residence, “saying the drugs would be transported to her residence from out of state, another individual would stay at her residence to monitor the drugs and sell them to customers, she would answer calls from customers, and they were selling about 100 grams of heroin each week. In exchange for allowing them to use and stay at her residence, she would receive a set amount of heroin each week,” according to prosecutors.
Charges by the state were previously dropped because of the federal investigation.
In August, Dotolo agreed to plead guilty to the charges in a nonbinding agreement with the state and to serve no more than 30 months in prison, according to the plea agreement.
Dotolo faced a maximum prison term of 20 years, a maximum fine of $500,000 for maintaining a drug premises and a maximum fine of $1 million for drug trafficking.
A co-defendant, Chrissie LaForge, 42, of Winsted, Connecticut, pleaded guilty June 6 in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine. She entered into a plea agreement for a sentence not to exceed 36 months in prison, according to court documents. A sentencing date has not been set.
A third defendant in the state case has not been federally indicted and is not listed in the federal electronic court documents.
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