A Colorado Springs woman, Maria Davis-Conchie, 49, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for distributing alprazolam (Xanax) to her 16-year-old son and his friends. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
According to a plea agreement, Davis-Conchie regularly distributed controlled substances over at least one year leading up to January 30, 2022. She sold Xanax pills to her son and his friends for $5 to $10 each and instructed them not to use too many at once. During this period, her son and another teenager used Xanax every weekend, although some of the drugs were obtained from other sources.
The plea agreement also stated that Davis-Conchie believed her son would use drugs regardless of her actions, so she decided to provide what she considered “safe” drugs. In addition to Xanax, she gave the teenagers marijuana, marijuana concentrate, and LSD. Around December 31, 2021, she purchased Xanax bars and LSD for her son and his friends because they wanted to try something different on New Year’s Eve; she believed psychedelic drugs like LSD were “safe.” She claimed these drugs were bought from co-defendant Marlene McGuire at a fire station near McGuire’s home with her son and two of his friends present.
Evidence presented during sentencing showed that Davis-Conchie introduced her son to co-defendants Douglas Floyd and Marlene McGuire so he could buy fentanyl pills from them. Douglas Floyd pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to distributing fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl resulting in the death of Davis-Conchie’s son; he was sentenced on November 21, 2023, to over thirteen years in federal prison. Marlene McGuire was convicted by a federal jury on September 22, 2023 for distributing fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl resulting in death as well as other charges; her sentencing is scheduled for January 19, 2024.
“This case brings into stark relief the nightmare that is occurring daily in America,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “Catastrophic decision-making paired with a deadly poisonous drug killed a child and destroyed a family.”
“Fentanyl continues to kill members of our communities at an alarming rate. This case is almost beyond belief: A mother provided drugs to her son and then introduced him to the dealers that supplied him with fentanyl, resulting in his death,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “This woman’s son is gone because of the chain of events she started, and this sentence is a consequence of her actions. We cannot ignore the devastation this drug continues to bring to countless lives here in Colorado and across the nation.”
United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez handed down the sentence on November 29, 2023.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI along with the Colorado Springs Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter McNeilly and Alyssa Christine Mance prosecuted the case.
Case Number: 22-cr-00080-RMR
