A change of plea hearing was postponed Monday for a San Fernando Valley man accused of using hidden internet marketplaces to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine to buyers nationwide.
Brian McDonald, 23, of Van Nuys, was scheduled to plead guilty in downtown Los Angeles to two counts: conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
However, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald postponed the hearing Monday after questions arose regarding elements of the charges, prosecutors said. A new court date was not immediately set.
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McDonald and a co-defendant were charged in May 2023 in an eight-count criminal indictment alleging that from at least April 2021 until May 2023, they conspired to sell fentanyl and cocaine via dark web marketplaces such as White House Market, ToRReZ and AlphaBay. McDonald, using aliases such as "Malachai Johnson" and "SouthSideOxy," created vendor profiles on the marketplaces to deal drugs in exchange for cryptocurrency, the indictment alleges.
McDonald monitored and maintained the vendor profiles, including by updating drug listings and shipment options, tracking drug orders received online, and offloading cryptocurrency received as drug deal payments into cryptocurrency wallets he managed, prosecutors contend.
McDonald allegedly recruited and hired others to help with packaging and shipping the narcotics sold on hidden internet marketplaces. He also taught co-conspirators how to package and ship the narcotics, and assisted in the process, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
The indictment alleges that in May 2021, one week after McDonald created a darknet vendor profile for the purpose of selling illegal drugs, he texted an accomplice, boasting of sales.
Later that month, McDonald messaged co-conspirator that he had just sold 20,000 pills, prosecutors allege.
In June 2021, McDonald texted an accomplice that he had 34 drug orders to fill. The following month, in text messages about the conspiracy's goals, McDonald stated, "i'm really tryna make like 5 mil," according to the indictment.
The proceeds from suspected drug sales -- after being converted from cryptocurrency into cash -- were allegedly stored by McDonald and a co- defendant at their respective residences. The fentanyl and cocaine sales raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars, the indictment states.
McDonald also is charged with possessing firearms, specifically two gold-plated handguns -- one without a serial number -- to protect his drug business and the cash made on darknet marketplaces, federal prosecutors said.
The status of the case against co-defendant Ciara Clutario, 23, of Burbank, is unclear.
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