Married Navy sailors admit to selling lethal fentanyl aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
Two former U.S. Navy sailors who are married have admitted to federal drug charges after selling counterfeit oxycodone tablets laced with fentanyl to military personnel in San Diego, leading to a fatal overdose.
Hawaii residents Bailey A. Szramowski, 25, and Johnnese H. Poomaihealani, 29, are scheduled to receive their sentences later this year following guilty pleas for supplying narcotics to active-duty service members, including during overseas deployments, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Court filings reveal that Szramowski provided 10 pills in late 2022 to a sailor identified in records as AN. That service member died from acute fentanyl intoxication on January 3, 2023, in San Leandro, California. Just ten days later, another sailor, referred to as CL, was hospitalized after consuming pills purchased from Szramowski; CL survived after emergency responders administered Narcan.
Federal prosecutors state that the married couple pressured CL to give false information to investigators while also requesting that AN's fiancée remove text messages regarding the deal. The fiancée informed authorities that Szramowski disclaimed responsibility, claiming he had warned the victim that the pills were "different."
The pair originally faced accusations involving cocaine distribution. Szramowski is additionally charged with distributing fentanyl that resulted in a death.
The deceased sailor was assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln. At the time of the drug sale, Szramowski was deployed aboard the same vessel, while Poomaihealani served as a master-at-arms and petty officer third class based in San Diego.
Federal authorities allege that Szramowski sold illicit drugs to fellow service members while on deployment.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Szramowski sold additional pills to CL despite being fully aware of AN's fatal overdose ten days earlier. Following CL's emergency hospitalization and recovery, prosecutors state that Szramowski and Poomaihealani instructed CL to tell police officers that the drugs came from the deceased sailor. Both defendants entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and will be sentenced in December.
Separately, the U.S. Navy reported that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln recently departed Thailand after a five-day port visit, concluding a brief pause in an extended deployment that featured operations in the Middle East. "We would like to thank the people of Thailand for their incredible hospitality," said U.S. Navy Captain Dan Keeler, the Abraham Lincoln’s commanding officer, in an official statement.
Standard naval deployments generally span six to nine months, though active conflicts frequently lead to extensions. Carrying approximately 5,000 crew members, the nuclear-powered Lincoln contributed to combat operations and naval blockades in the war with Iran, setting a modern record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers.
Accompanied by additional warships, the Lincoln docked early Wednesday in Thailand, the United States' sole treaty partner in mainland Southeast Asia, for a planned five-day stop. Buses transported groups of off-duty Marines and sailors in civilian attire to hotels in the coastal city of Pattaya, located about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok, shortly after arrival.
