An Ohio man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for selling cocaine laced with heroin and fentanyl to a Greek billionaire’s son who was found dead in a Cleveland hotel room in summer 2018. Terry Lee Christian, 36, pleaded guilty in October 2019 to charges related to selling the drugs that killed 34-year-old Sokratis S. Kokkalis in July 2018 and for using a cellphone in a drug transaction.
He was sentenced last Wednesday in federal court in Cleveland.
According to US media, Christian sold the fatal drugs mix to Kokkalis outside Jack Cleveland Casino, authorities said. Christian said at his plea hearing that he thought the drugs contained only cocaine.
The body of Sokratis Kokkalis Jr was found in a room of Marriott Hotel in downtown Cleveland at noon on July 14, 2018. He was to join a business lunch. Authorities were alerted, first estimations spoke of “death by heart attack.” an autopsy determined the causes.
Kokkalis was in town attending the summer meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States.
Court filings said surveillance footage from July 13 outside JACK Cleveland Casino showed Kokkalis taking drugs from a passenger in a minivan that authorities later identified as Christian, Cleveland media reported.. Tests showed Christian’s DNA on packaging materials found in Kokkalis’ hotel room, and cellphone records also tied Christian to the location of the drug deal.
Kokkalis Jr’ father, Socrates P. Kokkalis, a business tycoon, is the founder of a Greek telecommunications giant Intracom and its subsidiary Intralot that reportedly sought to expand its presence in the US online sports betting market.
Sokratis Jr worked for Intralot’s business development department.
