LA man sentenced to over 15 years for involvement in 23-year-old’s fatal heroin overdose.

Westlake​ Village Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal ​Prison for Drug Ring Involvement

LOS ANGELES—In a ‌tragic case involving a​ drug ring, a Westlake Village man has been sentenced to over 15 years⁤ in federal prison. ⁤This comes after ​his role in distributing heroin to‌ a 23-year-old man⁣ who tragically died of⁤ an overdose.

Bradford Shepley, 38, has also been ordered to serve six years ‍of supervised release following his prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Mr. Shepley pleaded guilty in May to a federal charge of conspiracy‍ to‌ possess with intent to distribute heroin. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than 15 and a half years in prison, taking into consideration the defendant’s prior conviction for⁢ a⁤ felony⁤ drug offense, according to court documents.

Mr. Shepley played a significant role ⁣in obtaining the heroin that was later distributed to customers⁣ by two other individuals.

On​ November 4,⁣ 2017, a co-conspirator and a ⁢customer known⁢ as ​K.S. ​exchanged text messages using coded language to arrange ⁤a pickup. The following day, Mr. Shepley provided heroin to the co-conspirator for sale to​ K.S., as stated by ⁤prosecutors.

To facilitate the transaction, Mr. Shepley and the accomplice were driven to the parking lot of a Target ​store in Westlake Village, where they met K.S. The entire exchange was captured by ⁢the store’s security cameras,⁢ according to court documents.

Once the heroin ⁢was sold​ to‌ K.S., the money was handed over to Mr.⁣ Shepley, as outlined in his plea agreement.

The⁤ U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that K.S. used the heroin provided by Mr. ​Shepley and tragically overdosed in his bedroom at his parent’s house. The medical ​examiner ‌determined that his cause of death was heroin intoxication.

Court records pertaining to the co-conspirators have been sealed and are currently unavailable to the public.