DOJ: NC man who caused Iowa man’s death sentenced to over 30 years in prison
James Adam Earwood, 39, "sold fentanyl for a living," the U.S. Department of Justice said. Cops & Congress was first to report about him in October, following the guilty verdict.
A Rutherfordton, North Carolina (formerly Lake Lure) man who sold fentanyl to a Dubuque, Iowa, man who overdosed and died was sentenced on April 5 to more than 30 years in prison. I was the only local journalist who reported on the case in October.
James Adam Earwood, age 39, received the prison sentence after a jury found Earwood guilty on October 5, 2023, of distribution of a controlled substance, heroin and fentanyl, causing the death of the victim, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Evidence introduced at trial and sentencing showed that on November 18, 2021, Earwood mailed a package of heroin and fentanyl to the victim. Earwood was living in Lake Lure, NC at the time and the victim was living in Dubuque, Iowa. The victim used what Earwood sent, heroin and fentanyl, and overdosed in the parking lot of a local business. The victim survived the overdose. One month later, on December 17, 2021, the victim received another package of heroin and fentanyl in the mail from Earwood. The victim used the heroin and fentanyl and died shortly after that, the DOJ said. He was found deceased by hotel staff in a hotel in Dubuque.
Earwood operated what he deemed to be a business selling fentanyl for at least a year. The DOJ said the business had a name that he marketed and included the business’s logo in packages of fentanyl that he sold. Earwood marketed his product to a private Facebook group for recovering heroin addicts. He asked his customers to leave positive reviews of his products. Earwood bragged about the quality of his product and even used the victim’s death to show how strong his product was, the DOJ said. He would ship his product nationwide using the U.S. Postal Service or leave it for local customers in discreet locations so the customer could later find it.
Earwood was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams to 365 months imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
North Carolina records show Earwood has a lengthy criminal history in the state in addition to these federal charges. They label him as an “absconder.”
The federal case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Corkery, Patrick Reinert, and Devra Hake, and was investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Dubuque Drug Task Force which includes the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office and the Dubuque Police Department, and the Rutherford County, North Carolina Drug Task Force.
If you or someone you know needs help with substance abuse visit samhsa.gov.
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