Austin man sentenced to 20 years for distributing fentanyl that led to death

An Austin man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in a death, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday.
Keithrick Carter, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman sentenced him on Wednesday, June 24.
According to court documents, Carter sold blue “M30” fentanyl pills and marijuana.
The case began on March 23, 2023, when a 24-year-old man was found dead in his apartment in Leander. Police found an unlabeled pill bottle in the man’s bathroom containing one blue M30 pill and marijuana. An autopsy determined the cause of the man’s death was fentanyl toxicity.
Investigators later reviewed the man’s phone and found text messages between him and Carter. Authorities said the Austin Police Department (APD) confirmed Carter was dealing fentanyl in pill form.
Carter was indicted on May 6, 2025, arrested on May 21, 2025, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, 2026.
“This administration has made clear that protecting Americans from the fentanyl crisis is a national priority,” U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said in a statement. “Keithrick Carter knowingly sold poison in a pill bottle to a young man in our community.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Leander Police Department and APD assisted in the investigation.