Bronx teen indicted in campus fentanyl conspiracy, accused of raping unconscious student who later died
Moises Freire and Brian Perelta, 18, of Queens, allegedly poisoned two students with fentanyl inside their undergraduate residence hall and claimed it was "pure cocaine." Freire is accused of raping one of these women a short time before she died of an overdose.
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A 19-year-old from the Bronx is one of two men indicted in a Manhattan college campus fentanyl distribution conspiracy, according to law enforcement officials. Investigators did not name the college.
Moises Freire and Brian Peralta, 18, of Queens, allegedly poisoned two students with fentanyl inside their undergraduate residence hall at the Fashion Institute of Technology and claimed it was "pure cocaine." Freire is accused of raping one of these women a short time before she died of an overdose. He was not a student at FIT.
According to the indictment, Freire allegedly proposed the scheme to Peralta, and the duo conspired to distribute the fentanyl from at least February through March 2026.
Freire allegedly said he wanted to give victims a drug that "would last the entire night" and believed if they could get victims addicted it would be a "win-win situation."
That scheme took a deadly turn on March 18, 2026.
Prosecutors say Freire and Peralta brought the fentanyl to the victims’ residence hall under the guise that it was cocaine. The men then allegedly encouraged the women, referred to as "Victim 1" and "Victim 2,” to ingest the drug. According to court documents, Freire previously described that same substance as "fake" and "poison."
According to the indictment, both women almost immediately lost consciousness after they ingested the fentanyl. Freire did not take the drug.
Investigators say Freire allegedly proceeded to rape Victim 1 inside her dorm room while both she and Victim 2 lay incapacitated.
Freire is also accused of waiting 45 minutes to seek help. During that period of time, prosecutors say he sent photos of the victims to other people.
Once Freire did approach campus security, he allegedly lied and said the victims drank too much alcohol. Campus security responded to the dorm room and administered Narcan to both women, who were then rushed to the hospital.
Prosecutors say toxicology reports confirmed that both women had ingested fentanyl - and not any cocaine.
Victim 1 lapsed into a coma and died March 21 due to complications from acute fentanyl intoxication.
Victim 2 survived the poisoning.
Law enforcement announced the indictment on Thursday, charging Freire and Peralta with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Freire faces additional charges including distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury as well as distribution of a controlled substance with the intent to commit rape.
If convicted, both men face up to life behind bars.
"Moises Freire and Brian Peralta Cabrera's actions were truly unconscionable," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. "As alleged in the indictment, the two defendants supplied the fentanyl that killed one young woman and nearly killed another. Rather than immediately seek help, Freire allegedly first raped the incapacitated victim who died and then lied to first responders. These actions are as sick and twisted as they come, and I thank our investigators, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and law enforcement partners for their work to hold these predators accountable."
A third defendant, Harry Rosales Pino, pleaded guilty in September to a charge of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury. He is set to be sentenced in December.
AP Wire Services contributed to this story.
