A 19-year-old Bronx man is accused of giving two female college students fentanyl disguised as cocaine, then raping one of the women after she lost consciousness inside a Manhattan dorm room. The woman later died, while her roommate nearly died from the same drug, federal prosecutors said.
Moises Freire, 19, of the Bronx, and Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, of Queens, were named in a three-count federal indictment unsealed Thursday, Oct. 15, in connection with the March 18 incident.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Freire brought fentanyl to the women’s undergraduate residence hall and falsely told them it was pure cocaine.
Multiple news outlets, including The Associated Press, have identified the college as the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan, although the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not name the school in its official press release.
Prosecutors said Freire knew the substance was fentanyl, which he had obtained from Peralta Cabrera. He had previously described the drug as “fake” and “poison,” according to the indictment.
Both women lost consciousness almost immediately after taking the substance, authorities said. Freire did not take the drug himself.
While the women were unconscious, Freire allegedly raped one of them inside the dorm room.
Rather than immediately seeking medical assistance, prosecutors said Freire waited approximately 45 minutes before contacting campus security.
During that time, he allegedly photographed the unconscious women and sent pictures to other people.
When Freire eventually approached campus security, he initially claimed the women had consumed too much alcohol, according to federal authorities.
Campus security officers responded to the dorm room and provided emergency assistance, including administering Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
Both women were transported to Manhattan hospitals.
One student regained consciousness after receiving lifesaving treatment. The other remained in critical condition and later died from complications of acute fentanyl poisoning.
Toxicology tests subsequently confirmed that both women had ingested fentanyl and no cocaine, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors allege defendants discussed drugging the women
Federal investigators said Freire and Peralta Cabrera participated in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy between at least February and March 2026.
Before the incident, Freire allegedly told Peralta Cabrera that he wanted to provide the women with drugs that would “last the entire night.”
According to prosecutors, Freire also discussed obtaining drugs powerful enough to make the women addicted, describing the potential outcome as a “win win situation.”
Peralta Cabrera allegedly supplied the fentanyl despite knowing Freire intended to distribute the drugs to the women.
“This case alleges not only the deadly distribution of fentanyl to two young women but also the sexual assault of a victim rendered defenseless by that poisoning,” U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said.
Both defendants face potential life sentences
Freire and Peralta Cabrera are each charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury.
Freire faces an additional charge of distributing a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, along with distributing a controlled substance with the intent to commit rape.
The charges involving death and serious bodily injury carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The additional charge involving intent to commit rape carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New York City Police Department.
The allegations remain unproven, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Photo: Ajay Suresh / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
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