The Montgomery County first-grade teacher arrested for allegedly selling the drugs that killed a man in Washington, D.C., is now facing federal charges.
Sarah Magid, 34, taught at Charles Drew Elementary, a public school in Silver Spring, while also allegedly trafficking opioids, including fentanyl, for months, according to district court filings. Montgomery County Police arrested her on August 13 on various allegations of drug distribution.
The United States District Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has revealed that she is facing federal charges for distributing fentanyl, which resulted in a victim’s serious bodily harm and death.
In March, an autopsy of a man who died in Washington, D.C., revealed that his cause of death was fentanyl intoxication. When investigators looked into his death, they discovered text communications between him and Magid dating back to January. In the texts, they arrange for several drug exchange meetups. Two days before his death, texts reveal he planned to meet with Magid to swap pills that had been pressed to seem like 30 milligrams of oxycodone hydrochloride. However, court documents state that the pills actually contained fentanyl.
The individual died shortly after the meeting and transaction, according to court filings.
In July, authorities got information that the instructor had left her classroom to sell drugs outside the school. When investigators checked Magid’s phone, they discovered additional text messages indicating that she had been trafficking drugs during the school day.
She had worked with the Montgomery County School System since 2022.
If convicted, Magid faces a required minimum term of 20 years in prison, with a potential penalty of life.