Buffalo man pleads guilty to lying in connection with overdose death

Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini

6 minutes ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that a Buffalo man pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice following an incident in which a person overdosed and died.

In June 2019, an individual contacted Roman Lapp, 49, asking for narcotics. Lapp obtained heroin/fentanyl/acetylfentanyl from his supplier, Steven Gonzalez, and delivered the drugs to the individual’s home. The individual then overdosed and died.

During an investigation, Lapp told the Buffalo Police Department that he received the drugs from someone other than Gonzalez. He later admitted that he lied to protect him, among other reasons.

Gonzalez was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison.

Sentencing for Lapp will be set for a later date.