Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 2, 2025 Saugus man receives 15 years in prison for conviction on federal drug charges A Saugus man this week received a 15-year prison sentence after his conviction last year for his role in a drug conspiracy involving tens of thousands of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, pills containing fentanyl and a firearm offense. Aaron Lenardis, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Last November, Lenardis was convicted by a federal jury in Boston of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl; one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl; and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. In February 2023, Lenardis was indicted along with coconspirator Charles Bates. In August 2022, an investigation began into Bates after he ordered 50 kilograms of an orange binding agent commonly used to make counterfeit Adderall pills, which he was observed picking up at a UPS store in Boston. Bates brought the binding agent to Lenardis’ house in Saugus, where he and Lenardis used it to manufacture counterfeit pills using a pill press. Throughout September 2022 and October 2022, Bates exchanged text messages with drug customers and associates in which he spoke about pills that are “made to order,” described being physically present at the place where the pills were made – Lenardis’ house – and “watching the guy work so no corners have been cut.” Bates described the pill press being used for 20 hours at a time and producing 5,000 pills per hour. In total, the offense involved at least 136,000 counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine – equivalent to approximately 40 kilograms of such pills. After the pill press broke, Bates traveled to Pawtucket, R.I., to obtain a replacement. Bates and Lenardis were observed carrying the replacement pill press into Lenardis’ residence in Saugus. A search of Lenardis’ residence in Saugus on Oct. 25, 2022, resulted in the seizure of an industrial pill press, 14 firearms, including a Glock outfitted to operate as a machine gun, at least 1.85 kilograms of pills, powder containing methamphetamine, at least 87.6 grams of pills and powder containing fentanyl and “M30” stamps commonly used to manufacture counterfeit pills. In November 2024, Bates was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel R. Feldman and Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case. Malden Catholic Announces Third Quarter Honor Roll for Saugus Students M alden Catholic students have successfully completed the third marking period of the 2024-2025 school year. A total of 433 students from 40 cities and towns have earned recognition on the honor roll for their outstanding academic achievements. Malden Catholic honors academic excellence with three distinct categories: • President’s List: Grades of 90 and above in all classes • First Honors: Grades of 85 and above in all classes • Second Honors: Grades of 80 and above in all classes Saugus President’s List Mya Arwine ‘28 Ava Curran ‘28 J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. Isabelle Da Silva ‘26 Olivia Gerard ‘28 Lucia Ingemi ‘27 Emmerson Keefe ‘28 Riley Moses ‘28 Alessandra Palomba ‘27 Jovani Pierre-Louis ‘28 Liliana Rizzo ‘28 Thucdinh Dang Tran ‘27 First Honors Elias Abourjaili ‘26 Jacob Grasso ‘27 S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping Arijana Jonuz ‘28 Bao Gia Luu ‘27 An Nguyen ‘27 Alexandria Rappa ‘28 Karly Ribourg ‘27 Sophia Rizzo ‘28 Cesare Rollo ‘26 Nicolas Sapienza ‘27 Rania Saroufim ‘27 Yasmin Saroufim ‘26 Sabrina Tamburello ‘28 Alina Truong ‘26 COUNTDOWN TILL | FROM PAGE 12 men, cannot sustain the level of spending as well as the demands of the teacher’s union to fund a new contract. Additionally, the School Committee has failed to disclose how much the McMahon arbitration award will cost and how they propose to fund that settlement. Will it be paid in one fiscal year? Will the School Committee seek to pay extra to McMahon to have the award funded over a series of years? Will Town Meeting allow the School Committee to maintain this as secret? This was an award by an arbitrator and not a court judgement and therefore is not shielded from public disclosure. Hopefully the Finance Committee will request this information and provide Second Honors Katherine Abourjaili ‘27 Isla Anderson ‘26 Aaron Connor ‘28 Mia DeAngelo ‘27 Hailey Fern ‘26 Yangning Liu ‘26 Teagan MacPherson ‘27 Louis Migliore ‘28 Philip Mirisola ‘28 Marygrace O’Donnell ‘27 Walter Pietrzak III ‘28 this information to the Town Meeting. The second issue will be how Town Meeting allows itself to be used by those among the body seeking higher office in November. There will undoubtedly be “political gimmicks” and self-serving initiatives to set the stage for the upcoming election by proposing solutions to problems that do not exist. Carla Scuzzarella: I am looking forward to once again discussing the many articles and budget items being put forward to better our Town for the coming fiscal year. I take a great deal of pride in representing my fellow residents of Precinct 10, conveying their interests, concerns, and viewpoints as we strive to keep our Town moving forward in a positive direction.
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