Biglaw

Promising Young Biglaw Associate Dies After Using Cocaine Laced With Fentanyl

She said her workload was 'intense,' but she loved the job. We extend our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

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Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published an expose on the dangers of cocaine laced with fentanyl. In that article, the WSJ highlighted three New York professionals who died in March 2021 after receiving their cocaine orders from a delivery service. One of them was a young Biglaw associate.

Cocaine use runs rampant throughout the legal community, and sometimes begins in law school. Now that cocaine is being mixed with fentanyl, the dangers associated with the drug have grown even worse.

Julia Ghahramani, 26, was a 2020 graduate of Columbia Law School. She was among the thousands of young lawyers who completed their law school journeys remotely and started their careers the same way. Ghahramani was a first-year associate at Akin Gump, and though she’d told her family and friends that her workload was “intense,” she loved the job.

On March 17, 2021, Ghahramani sent a text to Billy Ortega, an alleged dispatcher for a drug delivery service.

“Can u come thru?,” Ms. Ghahramani wrote.

“I’ll send them right now if you want.”

“That would be great thank you really appreciate it.”

“No worries we family.”

Within minutes, Kaylen Rainey, an alleged drug courier, arrived at Ghahramani’s apartment, cocaine delivery in tow. Hours later, she received two texts from Ortega’s number, followed by seven calls that night and the next morning. One of Ghahramani’s friends went to her apartment later that day and found her there, dead. Her phone was in her hand.

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Ghahramani’s father told the Journal that his daughter was “a driven professional with everything to live for.” He continued, saying, “Never in a billion years would she have touched anything with fentanyl. This is like putting bullets in people’s brains.”

“She made a mistake,” Mr. Ghahramani said. “She had a hit of coke and unbeknownst to her it was loaded with fentanyl and it killed her.”

Prosecutors said the texts and calls to Ghahramani and another woman whose fentanyl-related death was detailed by the Journal “showed a consciousness of guilt that something was wrong with the drugs.”

Ortega has pleaded not guilty to distributing drugs and causing the three fentanyl deaths detailed by the WSJ. Rainey has also pleaded not guilty. Both men are currently awaiting trial.

We here at Above the Law extend our condolences to Julia Ghahramani’s family, friends, and colleagues in the wake of her death.

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Please be aware that fentanyl is being put into other drugs, increasing the likelihood for overdose and even death. Please click here to see a general resource for harm reduction for fentanyl. The two most popular and well-regarded manufacturers of fentanyl test strips are DanceSafe and BTNX (both of which were recommended by a Johns Hopkins study). Click here and here for more information and to purchase these test strips. Fentanyl test strips are affordable, quick, and easy to use.

Three New Yorkers Ordered Cocaine From the Same Delivery Service. All Died From Fentanyl. [Wall Street Journal]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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