Charlotte Gallant's much younger brother stretched to reach a courtroom microphone during Jonathan Bash's sentencing hearing to forgive him for selling the fentanyl that led to his sister's 2022 overdose death.
"I forgive you. You have done a big sin," he said Wednesday. "You did not take my sister. Fentanyl did."
Bash was sentenced Wednesday to 21 years in prison — one year short of the potential maximum in his case — in the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse. He pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl, which resulted in the death of 19-year-old Gallant and the serious bodily injury of Gallant's boyfriend.
"In front of all these people here this afternoon, he could stand here and say he forgives you," District Judge Curtis Collier said of Gallant's brother. "What could be more serious than this when another person's life is snuffed out."
Bash was selling drugs to a number of Hamilton County residents using Telegram Messenger, an encrypted message app people sometimes use to hide conversations from law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
In August 2022, Bash and his wife took some of the fentanyl Bash was selling, according to federal prosecutors. Bash became unwell, and his wife overdosed and was revived at Parkridge Medical Center.
Bash continued to sell the drugs that made them sick, according to federal prosecutors.
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He would mostly sell to underage children or young adults, according to federal prosecutors. He was allegedly caught having sex with a minor in exchange for drugs, which he is expected to plead guilty to Thursday in Hamilton County Criminal Court as part of an agreement with state prosecutors.
In November 2022, Gallant's boyfriend purchased what he believed to be ketamine from Bash, federal prosecutors said. He and Gallant took the drugs together, and Gallant overdosed and died.
Her boyfriend was revived but suffered impairment of his bodily functions, federal prosecutors said.
Fentanyl overdoses have become the leading cause of death for those 18 to 45 years old in the U.S., according to federal prosecutors. Last year, 70% of overdoses were fentanyl-related.
Bash said on Wednesday the word "sorry" didn't feel like enough because it's the same thing people say for simple mistakes such as spilling a drink on someone or accidentally slamming a door.
Gallant and her boyfriend were not struggling drug addicts, Bash said. They were just a young couple trying to have some fun.
"The remorse and guilt that resides within me is perpetual," Bash said. "My heart immediately sank."
Leah Gallant, the victim's mother, also addressed Bash and the court. It was difficult to fully hear her speech through her sobs.
"Parents are not supposed to outlive their children," she said.
Collier said Bash's sentencing was a particularly emotional hearing, and society is still learning how to treat cases such as these.
Bash had surely seen on television or in the news the havoc that fentanyl is causing in this country, Collier said. He was willing to sell drugs that he knew could kill people for a few extra dollars.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.