Man charged with fentanyl conspiracy after drugging and raping FIT student who later died

Prosecutors say Moises Freire, a 19-year-old from the Bronx, brought fentanyl to a dorm at the Fashion Institute of Technology on March 18, telling the occupants it was pure cocaine. After the women consumed the substance, they quickly lost consciousness; one entered a coma and died on March 21, while her friend survived after a near-fatal overdose. Freire and 18-year-old Brian Peralta Cabrera, a Queens resident, have been charged with participating in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy and distributing a deadly drug with intent to commit rape, and remain in federal custody awaiting arraignment on the new indictment.

Harry Rosales Pino, a third suspect, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury and awaits sentencing in December. If convicted, Freire and Peralta Cabrera face a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and could receive life sentences.