Atascadero teen died after taking fentanyl. His dealer just pleaded guilty to a federal charge

A Paso Robles man who sold a fake painkiller to an Atascadero teenager, resulting in the teen’s death from fentanyl poisoning, pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge Tuesday, court documents show.

Timothy Clarke Wolfe, 25, was originally charged with second-degree murder by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office in May 2020 for causing the death of 19-year-old Emilio Velci.

The federal government took over the case in August 2021, charging Wolfe with one count of distributing fentanyl causing death and one charge of possession of the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam, also known by the brand name Xanax, with intent to sell.

Wolfe pleaded not guilty to all charges up to this point. On Tuesday, he entered a guilty plea to one count of distributing fentanyl, court documents show.

Drug dealer admits to being responsible for teen’s death

Wolfe overheard Velci talking about Xanax at a restaurant in Paso Robles on March 5, 2020, the plea agreement said.

Wolfe, a drug dealer, then approached Velci and offered to sell the teen oxycodone, court documents said. The two exchanged Snapchat usernames to arrange a future sale.

Three days later, on March 8, 2020, Wolfe met Velci outside the same restaurant and sold Velci three blue pills for $75, the plea agreement said.

Wolfe told Velci the pills were Percocet, according to court documents, but knew the pills contained fentanyl.

Wolfe never disclosed to Velci that the pills contained anything other than Percocet, court documents said.

Velci drove home from the drug sale with his brother and took one of the three pills on the way home, according to court documents.

He passed out while watching a movie with his brother around 8 p.m., court documents said. Both of Velci’s brothers and his roommate checked to ensure Velci was still breathing before they went to bed.

But the next morning, around 7 a.m., court documents said, the three found Velci dead.

Investigators found Velci died as a result of fentanyl intoxication caused by the pill Wolfe sold.

At Wolfe’s home, court documents say, investigators found a backpack with a digital scale and plastic bag containing 1.59 grams of alprazolam, known as the brand name Xanax, as well as 0.56 grams of baclofen, a skeletal muscle relaxant, and 0.79 grams of promethazine, an allergy medication that can also be used for sedation.

Wolfe admitted to “knowingly and intentionally” selling fentanyl to Velci, the plea agreement shows.

Wolfe also agreed that he distributed fentanyl causing death, a more serious offense.

Because of this, the plea agreement said, Wolfe will be sentenced under the guidelines for fentanyl causing death, despite only being convicted of distributing fentanyl.

Wolfe faces up to 20 years in prison, supervised release for the rest of his life and a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, the plea agreement said, plus a mandatory special assessment of $100.

Under the agreement, Wolfe must also pay full restitution to the victims of his crime — in this case Velci’s family — which is estimated to be $50,000. The restitution amount can change based if new facts come to light before the sentencing.

Wolfe is currently free on a $150,000 bond, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy wrote in an email, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7.