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Omar Aitcheson, age 31, of North Amityville, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
According to prosecutors, Aitcheson sold a mix of fentanyl and tramadol to three Copiague men who thought they were buying cocaine in October 2023.
Fentanyl is a powerful, synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin. Ingesting just two milligrams can be fatal.
The group snorted the substance and immediately began showing signs of an opioid overdose. One of them, 32-year-old Igor Piaskowski, later died at a hospital.
Aitcheson continued selling drugs in Suffolk County after Piaskowski death, prosecutors said. He was arrested on Oct. 24, 2023, after selling cocaine to undercover detectives on two different occasions.
In court Tuesday, Aitcheson pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office had asked for an eight-year prison sentence, but Judge Philip Goglas instead entered Aitcheson into the court’s Judicial Diversion Program (JDP).
If he successfully completes the program, along with one year or probation, Aitcheson will be able to withdraw his guilty plea and have his felony charges dismissed.
Should he fail to complete the program, he will be given three years in prison.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney issued a statement criticizing Judge Goglas’ decision, saying he “vehemently opposed” placing Aitcheson into a program meant to provide treatment for defendants who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
“Placing a drug dealer who provided poison leading to a fatal overdose into Judicial Diversion is dangerous to the community and a travesty of justice,” Tierney said.
“Aitcheson was not suffering from a substance use disorder at the time he sold the fatal dose, nor was he driven to commit his crimes due to a substance use disorder.
“In fact, Aitcheson himself admitted to the Court that he had not taken any narcotics since September 2023, a month prior to the sale resulting in the overdoses.”
Tierney acknowledged that it’s ultimately up to a judge’s discretion to admit or deny a defendant into the program.
“The criminal justice system has failed Mr. Piaskowski, his family, and the more than one hundred thousand victims who die from opioid overdoses each year,” he said.
In a letter submitted to the court, Piaskowski’s sister, Sandra, remembered him as a hard worker who was employed by a construction company and specialized in bathroom renovations.
“My brother was a good, kind person. His mistake was taking what he thought was cocaine,” she said.
Like Tierney, she blasted the idea of admitting Aitcheson to the JDP, noting that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.
“This was a conscious decision and is a lifestyle choice for him. It is apparent from his public Instagram profile that he glorifies drug taking, drug dealing and handling of weapons.
“Does this type of person deserve a ‘slap on the wrist’ having caused such a tremendous loss to me and my family due to his selfish, reckless and deadly actions?
“My brother and my family deserve justice and the JDP being applied in this instance is not justice.”
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