Two men, one from Monroe County, were sentenced Wednesday to lengthy prison terms for distributing fentanyl that resulted in a death, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Demetrius T. Taylor, 30, of Patterson, New Jersey, to 20 years and Joseph A. Decker, of Monroe County, to 15 years.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Decker and Taylor previously pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death.

On Feb. 21, 2020, Taylor gave fentanyl to Decker, who subsequently gave it to an individual who, in turn, gave it to his 32-year-old girlfriend identified as C.C.

Shortly after ingesting the fentanyl, C.C. overdosed and died on Feb. 26, 2020.

Decker’s girlfriend, Mary Keiper, 27, of Monroe County, pleaded guilty on July 18, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin and fentanyl, and is awaiting sentencing.

The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Scranton, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of a districtwide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and fentanyl.

Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.