22-year-old El Pasoan sentenced to 15 years for selling fentanyl-laced pill that caused death

Update: Cuccaro is the son of Council of Judges Director Michael Cuccaro. The elder Cuccaro confirmed his relationship to ABC-7, but did not want to comment on the sentencing.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A federal court just sentenced 22-year-old El Pasoan Michael Joseph Cuccaro to 15 years in prison for selling a fake M-30 oxycodone pill to a person who ended up dying from fentanyl poisoning.

The sale happened December 11, 2022, court officials say. A federal grand jury handed down an indictment on conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury on September 6, 2023.

Officers then arrested Cuccaro on a bench warrant. He pleaded guilty to distribution on April 24, 2024.