A Fleming County man was sentenced Thursday (June 29) in U.S. District Court in connection with the August 2016, drug overdose death of an Augusta woman at a park and ride area near Orangeburg in Mason County.
Anthony L. Mason, 26, will serve 60 months in federal prison for his role in the death of Amanda Borgmann on Aug 1, 2016. The sentence was handed down by Judge David Bunning in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky in Covington for the charge of aiding and abetting with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing heroin and fentanyl. Mason was represented by attorney Frank M. Mungo of Florence.
Amanda Hill Borgman was discovered at the park and ride near the Orangeburg Fire Department on Aug. 1 and transported to Meadowview Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
Death was later determined by the State Medical Examiner to have been caused by an overdose of a combination of fentanyl and morphine, officials said.
According to a sentencing memorandum filed in connection with the case, Mason, Amanda Borgmann and her husband, Jonathon Borgmann, were close friends but "unfortunately, they are all heroin addicts." After being paid for a tree-trimming job in Ohio, Mason and Jonathon Borgmann drove to Maysville to meet Amanda Borgmann, the document says.
"To ward off the effects of withdrawal and feel normal again, all three wanted to buy some heroin," according to the memorandum. Since Mason had purchased and used heroin in the past from a nearby dealer, Joshua Jett, also charged in the case, they pooled their money, drove to Jett's house where Mason went inside to buy $35 worth of the drug from Jett.
"On this afternoon, however, unlike his previous heroin purchases, Anthony Mason didn't know that Jett had just sold him fentanyl-laced heroin," the memorandum recounts.
Back in Mason's truck, the three divided the heroin, and, on a backroad near Maysville, they shot up and passed out, the document states. About two hours later, Mason and Jonathon Borgmann woke up. Amanda Borgmann did not. She was dead.
The men worked frantically to revive Amanda Borgmann, with Mason even resorting to filing a bucket in a nearby creek and throwing the water on her in an attempt to rouse her and performing CPR. Her husband called 911 and handed the phone to Mason to report the incident. The men then drove to the park and ride across from the fire station to meet an ambulance responding to the call.
In a September interview with Mason County Sheriff Patrick Boggs, Mason, who was in a drug-treatment program at the time, confessed to his role in the death, according to information from the court.
In January, indictments were handed down in U.S. District Court naming Jett, 33, of Maysville; Kristian L. Bellamy, 24, of Maysville; Mason, and Tiffany A. Prince, 31, of Louisville, on a number of drug-related charges associated with the death, officials said.
Jett is charged with conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl that resulted in death or serious bodily harm and aiding and abetting with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing heroin and fentanyl that resulted in death, both Level 4 offenses.
Bellamy is charged with conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl that resulted in death or serious bodily harm and aiding and abetting with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing heroin and fentanyl that resulted in death, and aiding and abetting with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl that resulted in serious bodily harm, all Level 4 offenses.
Prince faces a charge of aiding and abetting with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
Earlier this month Jett entered a guilty plea to conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl that resulted in death or serious bodily harm. The second count was dismissed. Jett is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 12.
Bellamy entered a guilty plea to aiding and abetting with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl that resulted in serious bodily harm and Prince to aiding and abetting intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Bellamy is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 23, and Prince will be sentenced on Aug. 16.
(The Ledger Independent is online at: http://www.maysville-online.com)