Grei Mendez, a woman who owned a New York City day care center, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charges related to the death of a toddler who ingested fentanyl at her facility. The child, Nicholas Feliz-Dominici, died in September 2023 after being exposed to the drug at the day care operated by Mendez and her husband, Felix Herrera-Garcia. Both Mendez and Garcia faced a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.
Before the sentencing, Mendez apologized to the families of the children who attended her day care, stating that the incident was an accident and expressing her remorse. The child’s parents spoke at the sentencing, with the mother saying she could not forgive Mendez and the father describing the lasting pain of their loss.
The judge cited his own experiences with tragedy but emphasized the importance of upholding the law. He noted that Mendez had prioritized her own interests over the welfare of the families and children in her care. Prosecutors highlighted that Mendez had ignored warning signs of illness in the children and failed to seek medical intervention promptly after the poisoning occurred.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky condemned Mendez’s actions, stating that she had put infants as young as 8 months old at risk by allowing large quantities of fentanyl to be hidden in the daycare facility. Prosecutors emphasized that Mendez had lied to law enforcement and destroyed evidence in an attempt to protect herself and her associates from responsibility for the child’s death and the poisoning of three other children.
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