After falling 22 feet and significantly injuring his back, a Massachusetts man found cheaper pain medication on the internet. It was a path that led him to later sell tramadol and fentanyl.
Now, he’s being forced to forfeit thousands of dollars that were tied to him selling the illegal drugs.
Anthony Delgiudice pleaded guilty on Feb. 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute tramadol.
Officials filed a forfeiture notice for $34,310 on May 7. It was money taken from Delgiudice when he was arrested on June 27, 2024, in Bellingham.
Anyone, other than the defendants in this case, claiming an interest in the forfeited property must file an ancillary petition within 60 days.
In 2017, Delgiudice fell from scaffolding, a nearly 22-foot drop, court documents state. He had dropped out of school in tenth grade and “excelled as a stone mason.”
He was unable to work, and “the cost of his growing pain killer use was untenable,” court documents read. He found pain medicine online.
This decision, court documents state, “led him down the path to commit the instant offense.”
The investigation began in August 2023 after Delgiudice was known to “regularly mail` large numbers of packages from post offices” in Massachusetts.
On Aug. 14, 2023, a package addressed to Delgiudice was found to have about 5,172.5 grams (11.4 pounds) of pink-colored pills, which field-tested positive for tramadol, according to court documents.
Over the next few months, court documents detail numerous packages that also included fentanyl. From October 2023 to April 2024, Delgiudice mailed more than 900 packages at the Mendon and Bellingham post offices using a fictitious return address, court documents state.
Many of the packages were labeled as being sent to “Glass Cleaning.” However, court documents state “Glass Cleaning” was not associated with the address on the label. Plus, officials said, it was for a multifamily residential apartment building, not a commercial building.
Some of the packages containing the tramadol were mailed to Delgiudice’s P.O. box in Massachusetts, according to court documents.
Delgiudice also received many payments associated with the packages through CashApp.
From Feb. 25, 2022, to Dec. 26, 2023, Delgiudice received over 300 payments through CashApp totaling approximately $144,735. During August 2023 through January 2024, Delgiudice received 20 payments on CashApp from Amy Zolak, totaling approximately $16,420, court documents state.
Many of the CashApp transactions have empty subject lines. However, 45 of these transactions have a subject line added by the sender. These include “Medicine,” “medication,” “meds,” “medical,” “health,” “T,” “Stuff’ and “the usual.”
He also received more than 350 Zelle payments totaling $151,165.
“Like the CashApp transactions, most payments did not include sender-added information characterizing the transaction. However, a number of the transactions appear to note the subject matter of the transaction, including notes such as: ‘Medication,’ ‘Tablets,’ ‘Ambien,’ ‘Ambien-180 pills,’ ‘For immediate delivery of 180 items’ or ‘Order Anthony,’” court documents read.
It’s not uncommon for drug traffickers to wire money through Western Union to their suppliers to pay for a continuing supply of drugs, court documents state. And Delgiudice had wired about $89,258 using Western Union to individuals located in India.
Officials said the type of transactions and mailing efforts signals Delgiudice “is part of a large, international organization, involving the online coordination of payments and narcotics shipments by a number of co-conspirators.”
He was sentenced to time served and two years of probation.
Delgiudice has also been prescribed suboxone and is in regular treatment at Better Life Partners, an opioid treatment center that provides both Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) options and counseling, court documents state.
“His progress has made him a better partner to his wife and a more present grandfather to his children,” court documents state. “He is grateful for the opportunities he has had to work with the treatment team as part of his pretrial release conditions.”
