COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus man and a Chillicothe woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to drug and money laundering charges stemming from their roles in assisting two Chillicothe brothers traffic narcotics from Mexico and Arizona.
Todd Michael Fulkerson, 42, of Columbus, admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. In February 2024, Fulkerson traveled to Arizona at the request of Caleb Barillaro, 30, who was purchasing kilogram quantities of drugs for resale through street-level dealers in Chillicothe and surrounding areas.
The men drove separate vehicles to Arizona, with Fulkerson providing security based on his military experience. There, Caleb Barillaro purchased two kilograms of fentanyl and five kilograms of cocaine for $94,000 in cash, concealing the drugs in a cooler with ice before placing it in Fulkerson’s car.
Law enforcement observed the two vehicles traveling together back toward Ohio. At a gas station near the Indiana-Ohio border, Caleb Barillaro discovered melting ice had damaged some of the drugs. Upset, he moved the cooler to his own car and later discarded the drugs along the roadside, fearing surveillance.
Fulkerson faces up to 20 years in prison.
Lazae Lett, 24, of Chillicothe, admitted to laundering drug proceeds to Sinaloa, Mexico, to help Dillon Barillaro, 31, secure additional drugs from a supplier. She sent multiple Western Union money orders, each around $2,000, from Walmart and two Kroger locations in Chillicothe.
Dillon Barillaro supplied the illicit funds and directed Lett on recipient names and amounts, driving her to the stores for rapid successive transactions. Lett also faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Barillaro brothers have pleaded guilty to federal narcotics charges carrying sentences of 10 years to life and await sentencing.
Sentences, set by Congress, will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and statutory factors at future hearings.