A woman who ran a daycare in New York City, where a toddler died after consuming fentanyl, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. Grei Mendez, 37, pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.
During the sentencing, Mendez buried her face in her arms as Judge Jed S. Rakoff delivered the decision, which caused her family and the grieving mother of 22-month-old Nicholas Feliz-Dominici to break down in tears. The child had died in September 2023.
Mendez’s husband, Felix Herrera-Garcia, previously received the same sentence after admitting to drug charges and his role in the incident. Both faced a minimum of 20 years and could have been sentenced to life in prison.
Mendez admitted guilt to charges that included conspiring to distribute drugs resulting in death. Before her sentence was handed down, she apologized to the families of the children who had attended the Divino Niño daycare, which she ran from a Bronx apartment where drugs were stored and processed.
Speaking through an interpreter, she said, “I want everyone to know it was an accident. I am deeply sorry. I hope one day I can be forgiven.”
Daycare Children Exposed to Fentanyl
On September 15, 2023, Nicholas was rushed to a nearby hospital but passed away. Three other children exposed to fentanyl at the daycare survived after being given Narcan, a drug used to reverse overdoses.
Authorities later discovered a brick of fentanyl stored on top of children’s playmats, in addition to packaging equipment and more fentanyl hidden beneath a trapdoor in the play area.
At the sentencing, Nicholas’s parents spoke about their devastation. His mother said forgiveness was impossible, while his father described their ongoing pain, stating, “We’re alive, but we’re not living.”
Judge Rakoff shared his own emotional experience of losing a loved one to violence but stressed the importance of balancing emotions with the broader principles of law. He criticized Mendez for prioritizing her husband and her children over the safety of the young children in her care.
In a court filing, Mendez’s lawyer presented evidence of her traumatic childhood, while prosecutors pushed for a harsh sentence. They argued she ignored clear signs that the children were seriously ill and failed to seek medical help.
“After the tragedy, she lied to investigators and destroyed evidence to protect herself and her co-conspirators from the consequences of their actions,” prosecutors wrote.
Crackdown on Fentanyl
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky condemned Mendez, stating she endangered infants as young as eight months old by running a daycare in a room where more than 11 kilograms of fentanyl were stored. These children were put at risk as they played, ate, and slept in such a dangerous environment.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump implemented widespread tariffs targeting three of the United States’ largest trading partners: Canada, China, and Mexico. He justified the decision by pointing to what he described as an “extraordinary threat” posed by fentanyl, a dangerous and highly addictive synthetic opioid.
Trump criticized these countries for failing to stop the flow of illegal fentanyl into the U.S.
The opioid crisis has devastated the United States for years, though overdose deaths dropped significantly in 2024. At its worst in 2022 and 2023, more than 111,000 people died annually from drug overdoses, with fentanyl being the primary cause.
Synthetic opioids like fentanyl became the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45 during this time.
