Suspects in Bronx daycare death to face federal charges

Federal prosecutors charged a Bronx day care manager and a man who lived with her Tuesday in the deaths of a 1-year-old boy and three other toddlers who overdosed after being exposed to fentanyl.

The owner, Grei Mendez, 36, and the man, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, who rented a room from him, have already been arraigned on charges of murder, manslaughter and assault in Bronx Criminal Court.

They now face charges of possession and conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Manhattan Federal District Court.

A New York police official said Monday that a kilogram of fentanyl was found near the mats children used to sleep at the Divino Niño daycare on Morris Avenue. The city’s health commissioner said Monday that checking for fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is not standard practice for city child care inspectors.

Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino III, Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge of New York, are expected to announce the charges at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.