A federal jury convicted former Los Angeles Angels communications director Ethan Kay Thursday of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and with “knowingly and intentionally” distributing the fentanyl that killed pitcher Tyler Skaggs. The jury deliberated for less than 90 minutes.
Skaggs was found dead in a hotel room on July 1, 2019, during a road trip in Texas. The medical examiner found a mixture of ethanol, fentanyl, and oxycodone in Skaggs’s body and concluded that the death was accidental.
Police found pills in Skaggs’s room, including a blue pill resembling a 30-milligram oxycodone tablet that was laced with fentanyl. Cellphone records show that Skaggs asked Kay for five pills via text message on June 30, 2019, according to prosecutors.
Former Angels players, including Matt Harvey, CJ Cron, Mike Morin, and Cameron Bedrosian testified at the trial that they had received blue 30-milligram oxycodone pills from Kay, Kay was the only source of the pills, and Kay conducted transactions in the Angels Stadium. Current Angels communications director Adam Chodzko also testified, stating that Kay told him that he saw Skaggs snort three lines of drugs the night Skaggs died.
In a statement, the MLB said: “Once the trial is complete, MLB will conduct a comprehensive review of the potential violations of our drug program.”
As part of the MLB drug program, players using drugs of abuse such as opioids, rather than performance-enhancing drugs, are referred to an evaluation treatment board after their first offense. The violation is not made public, and the board develops a treatment plan.
US Attorney Chad Meacham stated:
This case is a sobering reminder: Fentanyl kills. Anyone who deals fentanyl—whether on the streets or out of a world-famous baseball stadium—puts his or her buyers at risk. No one is immune from this deadly drug. A beloved pitcher, Tyler Skaggs was struck down in the midst of an ascendant career. The Justice Department is proud to hold his dealer accountable for his family and friends’ unimaginable loss.
Kay’s sentencing is scheduled for June 28. Kay faces between 20 years and life in federal prison.
