Angelina Barini: The Serial Drugging Deaths in Queens
Overview
Angelina Barini was a New York City sex worker whose repeated drugging and robbery scheme resulted in the deaths of four men in Queens during a period of approximately six weeks in the summer of 2019. The victims died after Barini supplied them with dangerous combinations of narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and gamma-butyrolactone, commonly known as GBL. Federal prosecutors said Barini used the drugs to incapacitate men so that she and, in at least one instance, an accomplice could steal their money and personal belongings.
Barini has frequently been described as a serial killer because four men died in separate but similarly patterned encounters with her. Legally, however, her case is somewhat different from a conventional serial-murder prosecution. She was not convicted of four counts of murder. Instead, federal prosecutors charged her with serious narcotics offenses, including distributing controlled substances that resulted in death. She ultimately admitted her responsibility through a guilty plea and received a 30-year federal prison sentence.
The Drugging and Robbery Scheme
According to federal prosecutors, Barini's method involved meeting men, sometimes while conducting business as a sex worker, and providing them with narcotics. The drugs were intended to leave the victims incapacitated and vulnerable to robbery. Several of the substances contained fentanyl, a synthetic opioid capable of causing fatal respiratory depression in extremely small quantities.
The pattern was particularly disturbing because the deaths occurred in rapid succession. A man died after an encounter with Barini on July 4, 2019. Another died only one week later on July 11. A third died on August 5. Less than two weeks after that, Italian chef Andrea Zamperoni died after being drugged in an Elmhurst motel. Prosecutors maintained that Barini stole or participated in stealing property from victims while they were unconscious or dying.
Jesus Rosario - July 4, 2019
The earliest of the four deaths attributed to Barini occurred on July 4, 2019. The victim was publicly identified as 51-year-old Jesus Rosario. Rosario encountered Barini at a motel in the Astoria area of Queens near LaGuardia Airport.
Surveillance evidence showed a woman identified as Barini leaving the motel approximately 90 minutes before Rosario was discovered dead. The New York City medical examiner determined that Rosario died from acute intoxication involving the combined effects of alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.
Federal prosecutors later stated that Barini had supplied the victim with fentanyl-laced drugs. The July 4 death became important to the larger investigation because it established what prosecutors described as the beginning of a repeated pattern: Barini met a man, narcotics were supplied, the man became incapacitated, and he was subsequently found dead.
Jean-Alessander Silvero - July 11, 2019
Only seven days later, on July 11, 2019, 28-year-old Jean-Alessander Silvero died at the Crown Motor Inn in Woodside, Queens. Investigators found evidence that Silvero had communicated with Barini before meeting her at the motel. Surveillance cameras also captured Barini and Silvero entering the establishment together.
According to the investigation, Silvero consumed drugs supplied by Barini. He was subsequently found dead inside the motel room. Toxicology testing determined that the cause of death was fentanyl intoxication.
Silvero's death eventually became one of the central counts in the federal case. After Barini was questioned by investigators, authorities said she admitted supplying Silvero with the drugs. A federal grand jury subsequently charged her with knowingly distributing fentanyl, the use of which resulted in Silvero's death.
The College Point Victim - August 5, 2019
On August 5, 2019, a third man died after an encounter with Barini in College Point, Queens. Public reporting described the victim as a 60-year-old man, but his name was not publicly released in the principal federal court and Department of Justice materials concerning Barini's prosecution.
Unlike the earlier motel encounters, federal authorities described this meeting as occurring at a residence in College Point. Prosecutors said Barini supplied the man with fentanyl-laced narcotics, causing a fatal overdose. The superseding federal indictment charged that the drugs involved fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine and that their use resulted in the man's death.
This death was especially significant legally because Barini ultimately pleaded guilty to a count of distributing narcotics that caused the College Point victim's death. By this point, three men associated with Barini had died from drug intoxication in separate incidents within approximately one month.
Andrea Zamperoni - August 18, 2019
The fourth and best-known victim was 33-year-old Andrea Zamperoni, an Italian chef who was serving as head chef at Cipriani Dolci in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Zamperoni had built a career with the Cipriani restaurant organization and was described by colleagues as a dedicated and dependable chef.
During the early morning hours of August 18, 2019, Zamperoni entered the Kamway Lodge in Elmhurst, Queens, with Barini. Federal prosecutors said Barini drugged him with GBL, a substance that is converted by the body into GHB and is sometimes referred to as a "date rape" drug because of its powerful sedative effects.
Zamperoni became unconscious and died shortly after entering the motel room. Authorities later determined that drugs played the critical role in his death. Rather than immediately obtaining emergency assistance, Barini remained at the motel while efforts were made to exploit and conceal what had happened.
Investigators concluded that the encounter was part of the same general scheme of incapacitating a victim and stealing his property. Zamperoni's bank cards and belongings became part of the subsequent investigation. Leslie Lescano, Barini's former boyfriend and an associate in the scheme, was later prosecuted for his involvement.
Attempts to Conceal Zamperoni's Body
The aftermath of Zamperoni's death distinguished the case from the previous fatal overdoses. Federal prosecutors said Barini made repeated attempts to dispose of his body without attracting attention. Zamperoni's body was wrapped in bleach-stained sheets and placed inside a large garbage container in the motel room.
For several days, people continued entering and leaving the room while Zamperoni's body remained inside. Charging documents described Barini attempting to obtain assistance and discussing ways to dispose of the body. Investigators also found items in or around the room that raised concerns about an effort to conceal or dismember the remains, including bleach and a saw.
On August 21, 2019, police entered the motel room while searching for Zamperoni. Officers encountered a strong odor associated with decomposition as well as burning incense. They discovered the concealed body and identified Barini as the woman occupying the room. The investigation into Zamperoni's death quickly led detectives back to the earlier overdose deaths.
Discovery of the Larger Pattern
Detectives investigating drug-related deaths in Queens began noticing connections between Barini and several men who had died under remarkably similar circumstances. Telephone records, surveillance footage, communications and toxicology evidence helped investigators reconstruct the encounters.
The July 11 death of Jean-Alessander Silvero was particularly important because investigators found communications connecting Silvero directly to Barini before he entered the motel. Once authorities examined the other cases, they discovered that Barini's contact information appeared in connection with multiple deceased men.
Investigators eventually concluded that these were not unrelated recreational overdoses. Federal prosecutors alleged a recurring scheme in which Barini supplied potent narcotics to incapacitate men and then took advantage of their condition to steal from them. The repeated presence of fentanyl made the scheme extraordinarily dangerous and, on four known occasions, fatal.
Arrest and Federal Charges
Following the discovery of Zamperoni's body, federal authorities moved rapidly against Barini. She was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 25, 2019.
On September 27, 2019, prosecutors announced an indictment accusing her of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the July 11 death of Jean-Alessander Silvero. Authorities said Barini had admitted supplying the drugs involved in that encounter.
A superseding indictment followed in October 2019. It expanded the case to include the August 5 College Point death and charged Barini with distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. The investigation also incorporated evidence from the July 4 death and the GBL conspiracy surrounding Zamperoni.
Guilty Plea
On August 26, 2021, Angelina Barini appeared in federal court in Brooklyn and pleaded guilty to four serious narcotics-related charges. Her plea included two counts of distributing narcotics that caused a person's death, one count involving the distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, and one count of conspiring to distribute GBL.
The guilty plea eliminated the need for a trial and formally established her criminal responsibility for the drug-distribution scheme underlying the deaths. The charges carried severe federal penalties because distributing a controlled substance that results in death can produce a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and potentially as much as life imprisonment.
Sentencing
On April 26, 2022, United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan sentenced Angelina Barini to 30 years in federal prison. Prosecutors emphasized that her conduct went far beyond ordinary drug distribution. They described a repeated practice of supplying dangerous narcotics to vulnerable victims so they could be robbed after losing consciousness.
The government also stressed that four men had died during the short series of encounters. Although the prosecution did not require proof that Barini specifically intended each man to die, federal authorities argued that her continued use of lethal narcotics demonstrated an extraordinary disregard for human life.
Barini became emotional during sentencing. Her attorneys presented information concerning her difficult personal history and drug addiction, but Judge Cogan concluded that those circumstances could not excuse conduct that had repeatedly resulted in death. The 30-year sentence reflected both the fatal consequences of the drug distribution and the robbery-centered scheme surrounding it.
Known Victims
- Jesus Rosario, 51 - July 4, 2019 - Astoria, Queens, New York. Rosario was found dead at a motel after an encounter with Barini. The medical examiner determined that he died from acute intoxication involving alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl. Surveillance evidence placed Barini at the motel shortly before his body was discovered.
- Jean-Alessander Silvero, 28 - July 11, 2019 - Crown Motor Inn, Woodside, Queens, New York. Silvero met Barini at the motel and died from fentanyl intoxication after consuming drugs she supplied. Barini later admitted providing him with the narcotics, and his death became a central count of her federal prosecution.
- Unidentified 60-year-old man - August 5, 2019 - College Point, Queens, New York. Federal prosecutors said Barini met the victim at a residence and supplied fentanyl-laced narcotics that caused his fatal overdose. The federal indictment involved fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. His name was not publicly released in the principal federal materials concerning the case.
- Andrea Zamperoni, 33 - August 18, 2019 - Kamway Lodge, Elmhurst, Queens, New York. The Cipriani Dolci head chef was drugged with GBL during an encounter with Barini and died shortly afterward. His body remained concealed in the motel room until police discovered it on August 21, 2019.
Leslie Lescano and the Zamperoni Scheme
Investigators also identified Leslie Lescano, Barini's former boyfriend, as a participant in the scheme surrounding Andrea Zamperoni. Authorities said Lescano was involved in the conspiracy to use GBL and benefited from Zamperoni's stolen property. Investigators determined that stolen bank or credit cards belonging to Zamperoni were used after he had been incapacitated.
Lescano was arrested separately and prosecuted for his role. He was ultimately sentenced to 32 months in federal prison. The court did not find that Lescano personally caused Zamperoni's death, but his participation demonstrated that at least part of Barini's final known fatal encounter involved more than one person.
Was Angelina Barini a Serial Killer?
Barini is commonly included in discussions of serial killers because four victims died in separate incidents displaying a repeated method, motive and geographic pattern. All four deaths occurred in Queens during July and August 2019, and prosecutors said the underlying objective was to incapacitate men with drugs and rob them.
There is nevertheless an important legal distinction. Barini was not convicted in state court of four intentional murders. Her federal convictions centered on narcotics distribution, narcotics distribution resulting in death and conspiracy. The evidence established that she knowingly supplied the drugs and that the drugs caused multiple deaths, but prosecutors did not have to prove that killing each victim was her original objective. The apparent primary motive was financial theft after incapacitation.
Investigators later expressed concern that the four proven deaths might not represent the full extent of Barini's activities. Law enforcement officials publicly stated that they believed there could have been additional victims because similar drugging and robbery behavior may have occurred before the documented 2019 deaths. No additional fatal victims, however, were established as part of the federal case that resulted in her conviction and 30-year sentence.
Legacy of the Case
The Angelina Barini case demonstrated how a seemingly isolated series of drug overdoses could conceal a repeated criminal pattern. What initially appeared to be separate fentanyl-related deaths in different parts of Queens ultimately became connected through surveillance footage, telephone records, victim communications and Barini's own admissions.
The discovery of Andrea Zamperoni's body brought the investigation into sharper focus and allowed detectives to connect Barini to earlier fatalities. By the conclusion of the federal prosecution, authorities attributed four deaths to her drugging scheme: Jesus Rosario on July 4, Jean-Alessander Silvero on July 11, an unidentified 60-year-old man on August 5 and Andrea Zamperoni on August 18, 2019.
Barini's case remains unusual because it occupies the intersection between serial predatory crime, robbery and fatal narcotics distribution. Her victims were not killed with a conventional weapon. Instead, prosecutors established a repeated pattern in which powerful drugs were used as the means of incapacitation, property was taken, and four men died. The resulting 30-year federal sentence reflected the devastating consequences of a scheme that repeatedly placed financial gain above the lives of its victims.
