Man suspected of selling lethal fentanyl dose in Yavapai County charged with manslaughter
A man suspected of selling a lethal dose of fentanyl that ultimately killed another man in Yavapai County was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Dec. 7. It was the first time in the county’s history that a suspected drug dealer has been charged relating to the death of their customer.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, 38-year-old Filippo Alviano sold fentanyl to 28-year-old Trevor Rauch. Rauch texted Alviano at around 7:40 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2021, asking if he had the drug shortly after Rauch was kicked out of his rehab center, authorities said.
Authorities said Alviano told Rauch that he had a few fentanyl pills but warned they were quite powerful, texting “I’m not gonna lie I’m nervous to get u one of these apparently are the real deal strong.”
The two continued texting before meeting at a home on Hillside Avenue in Prescott at around 11:17 p.m. where YCSO said the sale took place. Rauch was later caught on surveillance footage entering a Circle K near Willow Creek Road at around 11:49 p.m.
Prescott police were called nearly three hours later to reports of an unresponsive man in the bathroom of the same Circle K. Rauch would later be pronounced deceased, with the cause of death being fentanyl intoxication.
Authorities said Alviano fled to New York in October 2021 while detectives with the multi-agency task force dubbed Partners Against Narcotic Trafficking, or PANT, continued investigating Rauch’s death.
Detectives were eventually able to obtain a grand jury indictment against Alviano and flew to Suffolk County in New York where they, along with Suffolk County police, arrested Alviano and booked him into Suffolk County jail as he awaits extradition back to Arizona.
Kristen Greene, a spokesperson for YCSO, said the decision to charge Alviano with negligent manslaughter in connection to the fatal overdose was significant.
“The charge is not one taken lightly by law enforcement or prosecuting attorneys," Greene said. "The depth and breadth of the investigation — as evidenced by the length of time prior to the arrest — hopes to show that the dealer was aware of the potency and potential lethal nature of the drugs he gave to the victim.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Filippo Alviano charged in fatal Yavapai County fentanyl overdose
