James Tunstall, also known as “Mass,” was sentenced Thursday, July 20 to up to 30 years in prison for the death of a 24-year-old Jericho man for distributing heroin, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced.
Tunstall, 48, regularly sold cocaine and heroin to customers in Nassau County, according to the trial.
When he was caught, Tunstall often faked an opioid addiction so he could get out of prison and switch to a court-mandated rehabilitation program.
In rehab, Tongstall would gather new clients to sell drugs. He’ll even provide customers with his own clean urine so they can pass drug tests.
It was at a rehabilitation facility in Mineola that Tunstall met the victim, Sergio Nico Alvarez, the district attorney’s office said.
Tongstall will continue to sell the Alvarez drug within the facility.
On October 28, 2018, Jay Turnem (Tunstall’s co-defendant) delivered heroin to Alvarez for Tunstall and brought the cash back to him.
The next morning, Alvarez’s mother discovered he had died of a heroin overdose.
In July 2021, after his arrest, Tunstall pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to sell cocaine and heroin.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the offence.
Tunstall was sentenced on Thursday, July 20, to 30 years in prison for Alvarez’s death and will serve concurrently with his previous sentence, the prosecutor’s office reported.
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