AUGUSTA — A Canaan woman who a judge said distributed a “staggering” amount of drugs was sentenced last week to 70 months in federal prison on drug distribution charges and was sentenced Monday to a concurrent four-year term for a separate state count.

Toni Juliano, 30, formerly of Portland, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to federal drug charges and was sentenced on those Thursday at U.S. District Court in Bangor.

U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock at the sentencing hearing described Juliano as a “major drug dealer in Central Maine” responsible for distributing a “staggering” amount of drugs, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The prison term is to be followed by five years of supervised release.

The release notes that police seized 173 grams of heroin, 60 grams of crack and 113 grams of cocaine from her Waterville hotel room on Sept. 6, 2017, and on Sept. 27, 2017, police seized 100 grams of heroin, 91 grams of fentanyl, 88 grams of cocaine and $38,222 in cash from a second Waterville hotel room.

While the judge initially signed off on the government’s motion seeking forfeiture of the money, the motion was later withdrawn.

Juliano had pleaded guilty on June 27, 2017, at the Capital Judicial Center to a state charge of unlawful trafficking in heroin that occurred Feb. 4, 2017, in Hallowell. She was picked up during a traffic stop.

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The sentencing hearing was delayed, and in the meantime she was arrested on the federal charges which accused her of storing large quantities of cocaine base and as well as other drugs, in various hotel rooms in Waterville so she could sell the drugs in the local area.

On Monday, the state sentencing hearing took place.

Juliano’s defense attorney, Walter McKee, said the agreed-upon recommendation from him and the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley, called for a four-year concurrent term.

McKee said that Juliano’s federal sentence “was significant” and asked Justice William Stokes to suspend Juliano’s $400 fine.

“She’s now destitute and out of commission for a long period of time,” McKee said. Stokes agreed.

Other state charges were dismissed in exchange for Juliano’s plea to the heroin trafficking.

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In a filing May 8, 2018, in the federal case, McKee noted, “There is little question that Toni’s severe drug addiction is what brought her to be engaged in the conduct for which she has plead guilty, as well as her conduct over the years that resulted in drug convictions. That being said, Toni takes complete responsibility for what she did and even though she has as severe addiction, Toni knows that this does not excuse her from her illegal acts over the years.”

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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