A Wading River woman was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, following her conviction on charges of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and the possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Amber Schatz, 33, pleaded guilty to those charges in May 2021.
Schatz was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denis Hurley today in Central Islip, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a press release this afternoon.
According to public filings and statements made by Schatz during her guilty plea, Schatz and her boyfriend, Curtis Prussick, 38, conspired to distribute large quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl, Peace said.
Prussick pleaded guilty on Aug. 8 to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and Distribution of a Controlled Substance causing the death of a person, according to court documents. Prussick was sentenced by Judge Hurley on Aug. 8 to 17.5 years in prison.
The pair were arrested in February 2020 following an investigation into community complaints of individuals distributing drugs at public places in Suffolk County, the U.S. attorney said. Members of the Suffolk County East End Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Schatz and Prussick’s residence in Wading River and discovered a large-scale drug distribution operation, Peace said. Law enforcement seized over 170 grams of fentanyl, over 125 grams of cocaine and 40 grams of crack cocaine as well as quantities of oxycodone and heroin. Additionally, materials for packaging drugs, a pill press that the defendants used to press fentanyl into pill form and an assault rifle that they used to protect their drug operation were seized, Peace said.
Peace said he commended law enforcement officers at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Suffolk County East End Drug Task Force and the Riverhead Police Department, “who are working tirelessly to remove drug dealers and their guns from the streets of Long Island.”
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