An Orlando man will spend the next seven years in federal prison after being caught selling hundreds of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.
Jose Manuel Gonzalez Roman, 31, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza following a guilty plea entered on February 4, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the final sentencing on Monday.
The conviction stems from an investigation tracking Gonzalez Roman’s activities over a four-month period in early 2024. According to federal court documents, Gonzalez Roman met with an undercover confidential source multiple times between January and April 2024, setting up drug deals at various locations across Orlando.
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With each meeting, the scale of the operation escalated. The initial transaction involved 30 counterfeit pills, but the second quickly jumped to 100 pills. By the third exchange, Gonzalez Roman sold 700 fake pills to the source.
In total, federal authorities tied Gonzalez Roman to the distribution of nearly 500 grams of fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation into the illicit sales, while Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman handled the prosecution for the government.
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