Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, and Homeland Security Investigations New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas announced during a press conference on September 9 that a Queens man and four co-conspirators were indicted for their roles in a large-scale narcotics trafficking conspiracy that brought deadly drugs including fentanyl and xylazine, or “Tranq,” to communities throughout Nassau County.
The indictments are the result of a yearlong joint investigation by the NCDA, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Beginning in June 2025, NCPD’s Narcotics and Vice Squad identified unique green ink stamps bearing the name “Bruce Banner” on the outside of envelopes of packaged narcotics found at the scenes of a fatal overdose in June 2025 and a non-fatal overdose in July 2025. A subsequent investigation into those stamps and other unique stamps led detectives to phone numbers belonging to Jemmal Bryan.
The investigation by NCDA, NCPD and HSI, revealed that the defendant allegedly arranged hundreds of narcotics sales along with his sister Keana Bryan throughout Nassau County, including in Roosevelt, Valley Stream, Glen Cove, Merrick, and Massapequa.
Jemmal Bryan conducted some of the alleged sales out of a black Ford Explorer rented for him by Leo Duchnowski and in the driveway of Jennifer Loheide’s Merrick home.
According to the charges, Jemmal Bryan sold bundles (10 envelopes) and sleeves (100 envelopes) of fentanyl, a mix of fentanyl and xylazine/Tranq, and cocaine.
Ian Sharkey allegedly bought between 14 and 18 bundles of fentanyl every two to three days during the period of the investigation, between 140 and 180 envelopes at a time. Each of the envelopes purchased was marked with Jemmal Bryan’s unique stamps.
In approximately six months, Jemmal Bryan allegedly made more than $75,000 from narcotics sales.
A search warrant executed by NCDA, NCPD, HSI, and NYPD at Jemmal Bryan’s apartment in Jamaica, Queens, on July 16, 2026, recovered:
- Approximately 1,040 grams of fentanyl
- 2,261 packaged envelopes with various stamps containing fentanyl
- Approximately 200 grams of cocaine
- Approximately 100 grams of crack cocaine
- Approximately 17 grams of MDMA pills
- Approximately 1 gram of purple fentanyl
- Approximately 8 grams of Adderall
- Four firearms, including two stolen firearms
- $12,371 in U.S. currency
- Multiple cellphones, including the two that were the subjects of the wiretap investigation
- Over 15,000 empty glassine envelopes
- Assorted drug cutting agents
- Drug paraphernalia including bags, dosing spoons, blenders, grinders, scales, rubber bands used to bag up the bundles and sleeves, fentanyl test strips, Narcan, gloves, and masks
Jemmal Bryan was arrested on July 17, 2026 by members of the NCPD’s Narcotics and Vice Squad and HSI.
Ian Sharkey, Keana Bryan, and Jennifer Loheide were arrested by members of the NCPD and HSI on July 21, 2026.
Leo Duchnowski was arrested by members of the NCPD and HSI on July 20, 2026.
Joseph Giunta was arrested by members of the NCPD and HSI on June 24, 2026.
Jemmal Bryan, 42, of Jamaica, Queens, was arraigned on September 1 before Judge Helene Gugerty on two counts of Operating as a Major Trafficker (a Class A-I felony); Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony); Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree (a Class E felony); Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree (a Class A misdemeanor); Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree (a Class A-II felony); 23 counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and 27 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (all Class B felonies).
The defendant pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on October 6. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
Keana Bryan, 43, of Endicott, New York, was arraigned on September 4 before Gugerty on charges of Conspiracy in the Second Degree; Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree; Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree; Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree; seven counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; and eight counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.
Keana Bryan pleaded not guilty and was remanded. She is due back in court on October 6, 2026. If convicted, she faces up to 8-1/3 to 25 years in prison.
Ian Sharkey, 38, of Middle Island, was arraigned before Judge Charles McQuair on charges of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree; Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree; and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree.
Sharkey pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on September 11. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
Leo Duchnowski, 35, of Glen Cove, and Jennifer Loheide, 45, of Merrick, were arraigned on September 4, 2026, before Gugerty on charges of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree.
The defendants pleaded not guilty. Duchnowski was released to pre-trial services with electronic monitoring, curfew, and a passport surrender. On another unrelated case, Duchnowski’s bail was set at $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond, and $500,000 partially secured bond. Loheide was released to pre-trial services. Duchnowski is due back in court on October 1. Loheide is due back in court on September 24. If convicted, each defendant faces up to four years in prison.
Joseph Giunta, 76, of Seaford, was arraigned on September 4 before Gugerty on charges of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree.
Giunta pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on October 6. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison.
“Jemmal Bryan is arrogant, shameless, and he did not care whether people lived or died,” Donnelly said. “As we investigated this defendant for a year, he allegedly made hundreds of narcotics sales and amassed half a million doses of fentanyl that he planned to sell on the streets of Nassau County.”
Donnelly said Bryan “treated his operation like an around-the-clock service; allegedly dealing high quantities at a high frequency and bragging about the potency of his product. Even as his clients told him his products were lethal, this defendant bragged that people loved it.”
The DA also said that Bryan cut some of his supply with xylazine, which is not classified as a controlled substance in New York State. “The loopholes in our state drug laws must be closed, and legislators must act to keep New Yorkers safe,” Donnelly said. “Without major changes, prosecutors will be stuck playing catch up and more people will die.”
“This drug dealer thought he was going to get away with trafficking narcotics in our county. He was wrong,” Ryder said. “The county executive and I will do everything in our power to hold criminals accountable. Our detectives conducted a thorough investigation and worked with our partners in the DA’s office and HSI. We took these dangerous individuals off of the streets and will continue to send a message that we will never back down from those who put our residents in danger.”
“Too many families have been torn apart by overdose and addiction. Today, HSI is proud to stand beside our partners in Nassau County to announce the indictment of Jemmal Bryan and his co-conspirators who stand accused of bringing hundreds of thousands of doses of deadly drugs into our communities,” Gizas added. “HSI joins our law enforcement partners in our shared commitment to dismantle drug distribution networks and stop drugs before they reach our streets.”