Re: Heroin Ring Busted in Centreville
Posted by:
Rest of the Story
()
Date: July 30, 2009 07:12PM
Centreview Online Story on Schnippel Sentencing:
20 Years Prison for Schnippel
Gave fatal heroin to Alicia Lannes.
By Bonnie Hobbs
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Right before he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for giving 19-year-old Alicia Lannes the heroin that took her life, Skylar Schnippel apologized to her family for her loss.
But he said it quickly and without emotion — and even the judge noted that, if he felt remorse, it’s only come upon him in the last few days. And considering when he said it, Alicia’s parents had a hard time believing him, as well.
"We’ve been to just about every hearing for all 16 co-defendants," said her father, Greg Lannes. "Over the past nine months, the one consistent name mentioned throughout was Skylar Schnippel’s. He was the one who should have stepped up first and pled guilty — that would have showed my family he felt remorseful for what he did to Alicia."
Schnippel, 20, of Virginia Run, was a key member of the Centreville-based, heroin conspiracy and the last one of the 16 people arrested to be convicted. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and, after a bench trial, May 4-5, he was also found guilty of heroin distribution resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin resulting in death, and possession with intent to distribute heroin resulting in death.
Last Friday, July 24, he appeared in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to learn his punishment. First, though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Barnett explained the significance of the federal government’s actions and Lannes’s death.
"This sentence is the culmination of 16 arrests and convictions," he said. "In August 2008, investigators and police looked at what was going on in Centreville and realized three things: There was a heroin problem; as federal agents, we didn’t know a lot about heroin; and we had a pandemic — a public-health emergency. Young individuals were dying of heroin."
Barnett said the federal government got involved because it had jurisdiction — and the urgency of the situation required serious action. "We recognized that we had a singular role to play in stopping this pandemic — and then two individuals overdosed and died," he said. "In September 2008, a target of our investigation died of an overdose and we weren’t able to marshal the evidence against him in time to prevent his death. The others we arrested later told us their arrests saved their lives."
There were also other reasons the government took over the heroin prosecutions. "Unless individuals were wealthy and willing to get help, there were no tools available to help them fight their heroin addictions," said Barnett. "And there were no reactions by state and local government to this issue."
He said those interviewed during the investigation "told us about drugs we’d never heard of. One woman said she’d used a hallucinogen that lasted 24 hours. Person after person had long litanies of drugs they’d used. They’d progress from marijuana to prescription drugs to cocaine and heroin. They said the drugs were easy to come by — at schools, parties or from friends — and they learned from the Internet how to use them."
"They told us about these things and we were shocked — and we all have a lot of experience in these matters. But we haven’t seen any explanation as to why these individuals diverted into rampant, consistent, frequent drug use so that their whole lives revolved around it."
Barnett said the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted these cases "to bring attention to heroin use so that state, local and federal government, schools, churches, fraternal organizations — whatever was available — would step up. Because we cannot sit by while anybody dies of a drug overdose, we had to intervene." He said there have been some community meetings and discussions, as a result, but "We haven’t seen anyone take action to prevent this."
REGARDING ALICIA LANNES, who was Schnippel’s girlfriend, he said, "Her drug use was destined when she was sexually molested [at age 13] by strangers while on vacation with a friend’s family. She was a young woman of tremendous promise, but this event led to sleepless nights, depression and, finally, self-medication to try to deal with it." It also led her to heroin, and Barnett said the addicts interviewed told authorities that, after using it, "they had no worries or concerns."
He said Alicia’s parents "did everything they could" to get help for her. "Her mother even moved to Richmond when Alicia went to college, as a shoulder to cry on when Alicia’s demons caught up with her. Some people have said it was her choice to use heroin, but her actions weren’t always voluntary."
Still, said Barnett, "She saved 16 lives — a remarkable legacy for a young woman — because she sparked this investigation. It is a certainty that Daniel Nash is alive today because of this investigation. He would have died alone in his room with a needle beside him, if not for her. And Anna Richter told us Alicia’s death caused her to seek rehabilitation — and she now works in a rehabilitation facility helping others conquer addiction."
But Schnippel was undeterred. "Alicia’s death didn’t stop his heroin use," said Barnett. And by fall [2008], he was introducing another young woman to heroin."
A sentencing document submitted by Barnett and two other federal prosecutors detailed Schnippel’s involvement in the drug ring. They stated he was one of the earliest members of the conspiracy, and introduced several of the others to heroin for the first time. He first exposed J.R. Quick, David Schreider and Daniel Nash to heroin in 2006 and 2007; all three are now in prison.
Schnippel also sold cocaine to many of these same individuals prior to their involvement with heroin. And he continued dealing heroin, despite his own arrest by local police in July 2007 and Lannes’s two heroin overdoses in his presence in August and October 2007.
"It was the defendant who provided her heroin on March 4, 2008, while also supplying others with the drug that same night," wrote the prosecutors. "While she used the drugs in her parents’ basement and overdosed, he was communicating with her by telephone and text message. Several hours passed before he made any real effort to seek help for her. Alicia Lannes died as a result of using the heroin he gave her."
AND UNLIKE some of the co-defendants, said Barnett in court, "There was no clear reason why [Schnippel] started using heroin. We couldn’t find the childhood trauma or sense of loss. He had every advantage of family and luxuries available. It seemed much more of a choice for him. And at any point between 2006 and March 2008, he could have severed his involvement with the conspiracy."
In October 2008, the investigators requested his cooperation, to no avail. "We knew he had a roadmap — a good overview of this conspiracy — and we needed more concrete evidence so we could make arrests," said Barnett. "There were so many things he knew that he didn’t tell us about." They asked him again that December, but Schnippel still refused. Up to and including the day he was arrested, Feb. 19, 2009, he kept using and selling heroin to others.
"Furthermore, he was actively obstructing us — advocating a young woman withhold information from us — with no regard for the effect on her," said Barnett. "[Had she done so], she would have been prosecuted, too. His theme throughout was a disregard for the impact his actions had on others."
In the sentencing document, the prosecutors noted opportunities Schnippel will have after serving his sentence, adding, "That is something at least four other young people [who died of overdoses] have been denied."
In court, Barnett recommended Schnippel serve 20 years total for all his crimes. "We take no joy in this; young people will spend, perhaps, the best years of their lives in prison." But in Schnippel’s case, he said, "This sentence was determined by the defendant — driven by his conduct and the choices he made."
DEFENSE ATTORNEY Brendan Harold agreed with the 20 years, only requesting his client be placed as close to Centreville as possible and receive drug treatment in prison. Then Greg Lannes addressed the court. He said Alicia was born on Dec. 7 and, as "Pearl Harbor woke up this nation, Alicia’s death woke up this community, law enforcement and families to take action."
He described the bright, inquisitive child and good student she was before her sexual assault and resulting anxiety attacks. "It’s clear to [my wife] Donna and I that Skylar saw her anxiety attacks and talked her into using heroin," said Greg Lannes. "After one of Alicia’s overdoses, I asked him to take care of and protect her and he promised he would. But it was all lies; he was the one pulling her down."
Talking directly to Schnippel, Lannes said, "Do you remember me telling you the world would come down on you and there’d be hell to pay, if not? That day is today; little did I know that world would be the U.S. government. Federal prison can be a beginning so you can someday become a productive person. May God watch over you and guide you."
Then, saying her daughter’s potential will never be realized, Donna Lannes called Schnippel a coward, a liar, thoughtless and indifferent. "How many times did you inject her with a lethal dose — and walk away?" she asked. "You wanted to quiet her but, in the end, Alicia’s being heard. May your days behind bars bring you some of the same heartache and pain you caused Alicia."
Like others who’ve lost a child, she said, "We asked ourselves where was our God, and Alicia’s guardian angels?" she said. "Where was the Protector of children?" But, she said, crying, "The angels and her Protector were, in fact, with her all the time. God sent Alicia to open eyes and hearts and turn them from darkness to light. Alicia victoriously survives in eternity."
Then Schnippel stood and apologized, adding, "I loved Alicia; it’s my loss, too."
Judge Leonie Brinkema called the case "among the most aggravated" of the 16. "You really didn’t get the message," she told Schnippel. "And your [attempt] to obstruct justice is a significant, aggravating factor."
She said his conduct after Alicia’s death — and after others were arrested and the government asked for his help — was "just unconscionable." She then sentenced him to 20 years "to punish and deter you and to send a clear message. You can’t use and sell drugs and, when it’s obvious you’re being caught, you don’t go out and obstruct justice and try to get others to commit crimes for you."
Brinkema said she’d recommend him for the prison system’s 500-hour, intensive, drug-treatment program and ask he be housed as close to Northern Virginia as possible. Upon his release, he’s to have no contact with the co-defendants, remain drug- and alcohol-free and undergo substance-abuse and mental-health treatment. He must also share the cost of $21,497 restitution to the Lannes family with Quick and Nash.
Afterward, Greg Lannes said he and his wife understand Brinkema’s difficulty in sentencing someone so young to such a long prison term. "One day, Skylar will understand what he did and, hopefully, realize Alicia’s death gave him life," said Lannes. "In the years to come, only when he is released and starts his family will he thank Alicia."
Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for Virginia’s Eastern District, said, "We hope this sentence will be a strong deterrent to other young people. Our thoughts and condolences are with those who have lost loved ones as a result of this conspiracy, and our thanks go to the men and women who brought those responsible to justice."