Two Former USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Plead Guilty to Dealing Fentanyl
Two former crewmembers from the much-discussed carrier USS Abraham Lincoln have admitted to selling deadly narcotics to crewmates.
Former Lincoln crewmember Seaman Bailey A. Szramowski, 29, has pleaded guilty of selling cocaine and mislabeled "Percocet" pills to his crewmates, beginning in August 2022 at the latest - about the time period when Lincoln returned to San Diego from a deployment. His fake oxycodone pills were in fact laced with fentanyl, a deadly opiate - a fact which he did not disclose to his clients, with "reckless disregard." His plea agreement shows that he sold these pills to at least two sailors, working in concert with his wife, Seaman Johnnese H. Poomaihealani, 25, who has pleaded guilty to similar charges.
One of the buyers, referred to in charging documents as USS Abraham Lincoln crewmember A.N., bought 10 pills from Szramowski on December 30, 2022, in the apparent understanding that they were counterfeit oxycodone. A.N. appears to have taken one pill while on shore leave, then overdosed and died on January 3, 2023. A coroner determined that A.N. had passed away from ingesting fentanyl.
Szramowski attempted to conceal the origin of the drugs by asking the family of A.N. to delete the text messages he had sent to A.N.'s phone, which they declined to do. He attempted to influence them by telling them that the messages could ruin his future or get him criminally charged if they were not deleted.
10 days after A.N.'s demise, Szramowski sold three more pills from the same source to another active-duty sailor, identified as C.L. Shortly after, C.L. suffered an apparent overdose and had to be hospitalized. He survived, and Szramowski reportedly instructed him to tell investigators that he had gotten the pills from A.N., who had recently passed away from the same supply.
"Look, do not . . . say ____ to NCIS okay, do not say anything to NCIS. That's all you need to do," Poomaihealani admitted to telling C.L. in a call. "Just delete everything."
Then-Seaman Apprentice Johnnese H. Poomaihealani during an UNREP evolution aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (USN)
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Instead, C.L. agreed to cooperate with investigators.
Both Szramowski and Poomaihealani have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The penalties include a five-year minimum sentence for Szramowski, ranging up to a maximum of 40 years, plus fines. Poomaihealani faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal judge will decide sentencing in December.
