US Attorney Charges Perry Freeman with 2021 Fentanyl Death of Brian Cobb in Yorktown

Lexington Avenue apartment where Freeman is accused of selling Fentanyl and Heroin

Perry Freeman Charged with fentanyl distribution resulting in death of Brian Cobb in Nov. 2021

On Dec. 4, US Attorney Damian Williams, Frank A. Tarentino III, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and Robert Noble, Chief of the Yorktown Police Department, announced that PERRY FREEMAN was charged with distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a victim and illegally possessing ammunition.  FREEMAN was arrested and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause. 

The arrest of Freeman dates back to Nov. 10, 2021, when Freeman sold Fentanyl to Brian Cobb in Mohegan Lake. Cobb was in his car when, after he took the Fentanyl, he passed out with his foot on the gas pedal. The car caught on fire and Cobb was pronounced dead.

The Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office found the cause of Cobb’s death to be acute fentanyl intoxication and accident.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Perry Freeman sold fentanyl to a victim who died a horrific death shortly after taking the drugs.  Investigators concluded that the victim parked his car and, with his foot on the gas, passed out from ingesting lethal levels of the drugs allegedly provided by Freeman.  The engine sparked a fire that engulfed the vehicle and burned the victim’s body.  We also allege that Freeman regularly sold fentanyl to a confidential informant and warned the informant to be careful with the drugs, indicating he knew how unsafe his product was.  This Office will not rest until those who peddle this poison have been brought to justice.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III said: “Data doesn’t lie, and law enforcement continues to track fatal fentanyl poisonings to the person responsible.  This arrest is an example of DEA and our law enforcement partners’ efforts to thwart more drug poisonings and bring to justice those responsible for causing the most harm to our communities.  I commend the men and women of the Yorktown Police Department, the DEA’s Westchester Resident Office’s Tactical Diversion Squad, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their tenacious work on this investigation.” 

Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble said: “It is good for our community to see their local police department request assistance from federal agencies like the DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and have it culminate with the arrest of an alleged dangerous drug dealer.  I commend the determination, intelligence, and teamwork demonstrated throughout this investigation.  Yorktown is a law and order community.  We’ll continue to work hard, share information, and work shoulder to shoulder on our streets with all of our partners in law enforcement to keep it that way.”

The unsealed criminal complaint states that Perry Freeman, aka Perry Darrell, sold Heroin both before and after the death of Cobb to an informant in 2021 and 2022. A search warrant of Darrell’s apartment, 3469 Lexington Avenue found drugs and shotgun shells.

Due to the fact that Freeman had previously been arrested 5 times for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, attempted robbery, and possession of a weapon, he was not allowed to possess ammunition.

Freeman, 37, of Mohegan Lake, New York, is charged with one count of fentanyl distribution resulting in death, which carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of illegally possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.  

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the DEA and the Yorktown Police Department.