(WNY News Now) – A 36-year-old Niagara Falls man has been sentenced to 198 months in federal prison after being convicted of distributing fentanyl that caused a fatal overdose in Tonawanda in April 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
Michael Paonessa, 36, of Niagara Falls, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to 16 years and six months in prison for possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl.
Federal prosecutors said the case involved the death of Paonessa’s girlfriend, identified in court-related information as R.A., who suffered a fatal overdose on April 29, 2023, after consuming fentanyl Paonessa had provided…