A Cincinnati man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for fentanyl distribution following an investigation by the Mason Police Department and the Heroin Coalition Task Force.
Maurice B. Stewart, 41, also known as “Reese” and “Suave,” exploited his position as a chef at several Cincinnati-area eateries to distribute fentanyl-laced pills, according to court records.
He routinely sold the tablets to coworkers at work and to customers outside of eateries.
On September 18, 2022, Stewart sold a customer three blue pills purporting to be Percocet for $60.
His mother discovered him motionless in the toilet of the Westin Hotel in downtown Cincinnati.
First responders pronounced him dead on the scene, and one of the pills was discovered.
A toxicology result verified the presence of fentanyl in the victim’s system, and the coroner determined that the cause of death was a lethal fentanyl overdose.
A federal grand jury accused Stewart in January 2023, and he pled guilty in July 2024. U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. McFarland imposed the 180-month term.
Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Dornette and Timothy D. Oakley handled the prosecution of the case.
The investigation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) project, which aims to target high-level drug traffickers and criminal networks through coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities.
