FRESNO  -   A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Georgia Nicole Dean, 36, and Ashley Michelle Hill, 32, both of Coarsegold, charging them with selling heroin that resulted in the overdose death of another Coarsegold resident, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Dean and Hill are also charged with conspiring to distribute the heroin that resulted in the victim’s death.

According to court documents, on Aug. 22, Dean and Hill drove to the victim’s residence and sold heroin to him. It is alleged that the victim’s death resulted from the use of the mixture or substance containing heroin.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen A. Servatius and Justin J. Gilio are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the drug distribution resulting in death charge and the conspiracy to distribute drugs resulting in death charge both carry a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison up to life in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.