Kingsbridge daycare owner pleads guilty in fentanyl poisoning case that claimed toddler’s life

daycare
The parents of 1-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici (right) joined a street co-naming ceremony in their son’s honor in September.
Photo Emily Swanson
The owner of a Kingsbridge daycare where four children were exposed to fentanyl in 2023, leading to the tragic death of a toddler, has pleaded guilty in federal court, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced on Oct. 29.

“Grei Mendez has just admitted she conspired to maintain and distribute large quantities of dangerously toxic fentanyl in a Bronx Daycare center, a place where parents expected their children would be protected and safe,” said Williams in a statement. “From the beginning, this case has shown the senseless collateral damage caused by the fentanyl epidemic, and should remind us all that the demand for illegal narcotics so often puts innocent bystanders at risk while drug traffickers ruthlessly pursue profits.”

Mendez pleaded guilty to three charges: conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury, possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death, and possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in serious bodily injury. Each count carries a minimum of 20 years, with a potential life sentence.

Mendez’s husband, Felix Herrera Garcia, had previously pleaded guilty in connection to the case and was sentenced earlier this month to 45 years in prison. Mendez’s case in Bronx Criminal Court remains ongoing, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s office. 

Nicholas Feliz Dominici, who was less than two years old when he died from fentanyl exposure at Mendez’s former daycare, was honored in September with a street co-naming in his home neighborhood. 


Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes