Providence man pleads guilty to fentanyl trafficking, stealing tax returns

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — United States Attorney Zachary Cunha said a Providence man plead guilty to drug trafficking as well as stealing federal tax returns.

52-year-old Juan Carlos Nunez Rodriguez was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, theft of government property, and three counts of aggravated identity theft.

Cunha said that members of the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on Nunez Rodriguez apartment in September 2023.

During the search officers found 613 grams of fentanyl, approximately $25,000 in cash, 28 United States Treasury checks addressed to different individuals, 39 federal tax returns in envelopes addressed to the IRS, and personal identifying information belonging to 976 individuals.

An investigation by the IRS also found 43 tax returns had been fraudulently filed from Nunez Rodriguez’s address, and he also had deposited 15 of 43 U.S. Treasury checks in amounts ranging from $1,400 to $1,800.

Nunez Rodriquez is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12, 2025.