A 74-year-old Texas woman with a nursing degree was sentenced in federal court for distributing what authorities estimate to be 150,000 lethal doses of fentanyl through the mail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Rhode Island announced Monday, as reported by Fox News.
Patricia Parker, who now resides in Massachusetts, received two years of probation, including nine months of home confinement, after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distributing more than 310 grams of the drug.
Federal prosecutors said Parker repeatedly claimed she was unaware her parcels contained fentanyl. A sentencing memorandum stated that the case “presented dangers that an educated, adult woman must have recognized.”
A Texas woman was sentenced in Rhode Island for sending 150,000 fentanyl doses through the mail.
Patrica Parker, 74, received the ruling after reportedly insisting she did not know her parcels contained fentanyl.https://t.co/3ItE32GhR9
— CJ4America2 (@GrammyC4Zone2) December 4, 2025
Authorities said Parker attempted to mail counterfeit amphetamine pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover Food and Drug Administration special agent in 2022.
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Following the undercover purchase, investigators found Parker in possession of more than 18,000 pills, including Adderall, oxycodone, and diazepam.
Authorities reported that she had mailed more than one thousand parcels suspected of containing illegal drugs.
According to an affidavit, Parker received bulk shipments of illicit pills from overseas, divided them into smaller packages, and mailed them to buyers.
Her attorney told Boston.com that Parker’s financial situation deteriorated after COVID-19 severely impacted her career, leaving her unable to afford her medications.
The attorney said a supplier she regularly used offered to provide her drugs at no cost if she agreed to mail pills to other individuals. The attorney reportedly described the activity as a “side hustle” she undertook during financial hardship.
⚠️ WARNING: This post describes drug distribution charges
Patrica Parker, 74, a Texas woman with a nursing degree, was sentenced in federal court to two years of probation, including nine months of home confinement, for her role in distributing lethal doses of fentanyl. Parker… pic.twitter.com/0xQJptGp0c
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 4, 2025
Prosecutors, however, argued in court filings that Parker’s home effectively became an unregulated drug distribution center and that her background made the consequences of the operation clear.
Parker has continued to insist she did not know some of the pills she handled contained fentanyl.
In a letter to the judge, Parker wrote, “This incident is completely out of character with the life I have lived and values I have always tried to uphold.”
She added, “I would NEVER have knowingly taken part in anything related to such a dangerous drug. I should have inquired what it was, so that was my own doing. I see that in retrospect, but that fact haunts me to this day.”
Fox News Digital contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the FDA for further comment.
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