Kodiak woman sentenced to 15 years in fatal fentanyl overdose case

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Ashley Katelnikoff to 15 years in prison for her role in a drug conspiracy that resulted in a fatal fentanyl overdose , adopting the government’s recommendation of 180 months and five years of supervised release. Katelnikoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. The unidentified victim died in August 2022. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schroeder said the sentence reflects the gravity of a case prosecutors say underscores the dangers of counterfeit fentanyl pills. “It’s very sad whenever a person loses their life to the fentanyl epidemic, because not only has that person lost their life, but it leaves a gaping hole in the lives of all their friends and family where they used to be,” Schroeder said. Schroeder said the judge’s sentence matched what prosecutors sought. “We think that the 20 year sentence for Gerry Pugal was appropriate and the 15 year sentence [Tuesday] for Miss Katelnikoff was appropriate,” he said. Schroeder added that the case is “a tragic example” of how a single pill can be deadly. “This case is a tragic example of the saying that one pill can kill,” he said. “The victim took what appears to have been one fentanyl pill and lost his life from that.” Schroeder said even people familiar with fentanyl can die, and he warned of the unpredictability of illicit pills. “Every dealer who sells fentanyl on the streets can kill someone with any one of those pills because there’s no way of telling how much fentanyl is in each one,” he said. In court, the defense argued for a lesser five-year prison sentence with 20 years of supervised release. The defense attorney said she disagreed with the notion that a longer sentence would deter similar cases, and argued Katelnikoff could have “just as easily” died by using the same drugs she sold to the victim. The defense also argued Katelnikoff was a victim herself — citing her addiction and what they described as an abusive relationship with co-defendant Gerry Pugal. Pugal was sentenced in February to 20 years in federal prison for his role in the same case, according to a previous U.S. Department of Justice announcement. Before the judge imposed the sentence, Katelnikoff addressed the court. She apologized for her actions and thanked her family members who attended the hearing. “I wish more than anything it was all just a bad dream and Justin [the victim] was still here,” Katelnikoff said. “I’ll spend the rest of my life seeking forgiveness from his family and God.” Katelnikoff also spoke about losing the “love of her life,” Keith, to an overdose in 2021, saying she understood the pain associated with drug-related deaths. Keith’s mother, Cindy Blondin, spoke in court on Katelnikoff’s behalf before Tuesday’s sentencing. Blondin, who has custody of two of Katelnikoff’s children, said she does not blame the person who sold the fentanyl that killed her son. “It’s a little town, people get wrapped up in drugs, they’re all using the same drugs,” Blondin said. “There was no ill intention here. Punishment, yes, but excessive? Five years over 15, I don’t see how it makes that big of a difference.” After the hearing, Blondin said she believed the judge’s decision was excessive for Katelnikoff’s circumstances. Katelnikoff’s family declined to speak at this time. Schroeder said prosecutors view sentences like Katelnikoff’s as a warning to drug dealers — not drug users. “I think a sentence like this goes a long way towards sending a message to other drug dealers in the community that they will be held accountable for what they do,” he said. He added that, in cases involving fatal overdoses, intent is not the only issue. “If you choose to traffic in this deadly poison, and that poison kills someone, whether you intended it or not, you will be held accountable and you will be going to prison for many, many years,” Schroeder said. “In the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we generally don’t prosecute drug addicts. We prosecute drug dealers.” Federal prosecutors have described the Kodiak case as part of a wider drug trafficking operation shipping fentanyl into Alaska. According to court documents cited in a February DOJ announcement, the victim died in August 2022 after Katelnikoff sold five M-30 fentanyl pills for $300. The broader case involved multiple defendants, and prosecutors have said law enforcement seized large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs during the investigation. See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.