Sunday, June 28, 2026

She’s 36, and she’s facing 40

A Newport News woman pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl.

According to court documents, Paula Jean Sciotto, 36, participated in a heroin and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy in the Hampton Roads area from December 2015 until July 2017.

During the course of the conspiracy, she distributed more than 100 grams of heroin, as well as a quantity of fentanyl in Hampton and Newport News, federal prosecutors said.

Sciotto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. She faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years.

She will be sentenced on Oct. 29.

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttps://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo ([email protected]) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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