Centreville Man Found Guilty of Distributing Heroin Resulting in Death
Westfield High School Graduate Facing at Least 40 Years in Prison

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Skylar Marti Schnippel, 20, of Centreville, Va., was found guilty today after a bench trial before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema on charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of heroin resulting in the death of Alicia Lannes on March 5, 2008. Yesterday, Schnippel pled guilty in court to obstruction of justice.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement today as part of a targeted investigation, “Operation Smackdown,” that has resulted in charges brought against 16 alleged members of a heroin trafficking ring in Centreville, Va. that had resulted in four deaths. Fifteen defendants have pled guilty to date.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from the summer of 2006 through November 2008, Schnippel and others worked together to obtain heroin in Washington, D.C., and Maryland to use and distribute to others, including juveniles in Fairfax County. On March 4, 2008, Schnippel bought heroin from others in the conspiracy and gave that heroin to Lannes, his girlfriend, whom Schnippel knew had overdosed multiple times in the past. She used the heroin later that night and died as result the next morning.

“Today’s conviction should be a warning to other young people dealing deadly drugs,” said Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “If any of these youth from Centreville had stopped to consider the consequences of their actions, this death may have been prevented. Our thoughts are with the Lannes family and the other families who lost loved ones as a result of this conspiracy.”

“Many of our investigators have children of their own and drug cases like this, where a child dies, are particularly heartbreaking,” said Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Sometimes it’s hard to determine when a good kid will turn bad. But, we know for sure that parent involvement is an essential deterrent. We urge parents to speak with their children openly and frankly about this case, which has changed more than a dozen lives forever.”

Each of the drug charges resulting in death carries a mandatory minimum 20-year sentence; however, Judge Brinkema noted in court that for sentencing purposes she will combine the possession with intent to distribute and distribution charges into one count. Schnippel also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice by seeking to have a witness lie on his behalf. That crime carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fairfax County Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erik R. Barnett, Daniel J. Grooms and Lauren A. Wetzler.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.

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