Timothy Clark Wolfe was sentenced to 14 years in prison for distributing fentanyl that led to Velci’s death

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — At 8 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, at the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse, the Velci family from Atascadero received justice when Paso Robles resident Timothy Clark Wolfe was sentenced to 14 years in prison for distributing fentanyl to 19-year-old Emilio Velci, which led to his death.

“It was pretty stressful and emotional,” said Emilio’s mother, Cammie Velci, of the sentencing. “My family came with me and some friends, and the defendant was there with his family.” 

Cammie Velci, her sister, niece, and son all spoke at the proceedings. Each one gave statements about Emilio and his character and how they felt after losing him to fentanyl. She added that they were also allowed to give their recommendation on the sentencing of Wolfe.

“My son [Santino Velci] stated when he went up and spoke: It’s not only that he [Wolfe] took away Emilio, but he took away a person that would have had children,” Cammie said. “He took away endless possibilities and generations to live on this earth and do great things or continue our family and our heritage. The possibilities and what could have been accomplished by Emilio’s children and grandchildren and the next generation. I mean, he took away so much from us. A whole future was just canceled out, was just eliminated.”

Wolfe approached Emilio Velci in March 2020 after overhearing him discussing Xanax and offered to sell him Oxycodone. The two men met up three days later after a sale was arranged using Snapchat. There, Wolfe sold Velci three pills that Wolfe said were Percocet without disclosing that the pills also contained fentanyl. Velci took one of the pills that night, passed out, and then was found dead the next morning.

After regular proceedings, including statements from Wolfe, who pleaded guilty back in May, presiding Judge Walter gave his sentence.

“He [Wolfe] got 14 years. The guidelines were 14 to 17 and a half, so he [Judge Walter] went on the lower end of the guideline,” stated Cammie.

Currently, Wolfe is out on a $150,000 bond, and the judge instructed his surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons by Oct. 2, 2023. Wolfe was also mandated to pay $25,955 in restitution by Walter. However, Cammie states that even though justice was served, her life will never be the same.

“He [Emilio] left this earth without truly falling in love with someone and having a partner in his life,” she said. “Or making money or accomplishing his goals. He wanted to have a wife, have children, have a house, and watch sports on the weekends with his friends. He didn’t need a lot. He just wanted to be with family and friends and enjoy life.” 

Cammie also mentioned his dreams of wanting to be in the military. 

“I’m grateful that he [Wolfe] is going to serve something, and there’s a bit of justice that was given for the murder of my son,” she said.

Cammie stated that only around 1 percent of fentanyl deaths due to the distribution of an illegal substance see the dealers serving justice for their crime. 

“I feel that we’re lucky that we got this [sentencing],” she said. “I contacted a lot of the parents [who have lost children to fentanyl], and a lot of parents contacted me, and I said, ‘This is a win for all of us.’ This sends the message out there: If you’re peddling this poison and dealing death, you are going to go to jail. We can only hope that this is going to be a trend, and this is will continue to happen. These drug dealers are going to pay for what they do.”

Cammie Velci will be continuing her work for fentanyl awareness, which she’s been doing since the death of her son. She will be attending the DEA Family Summit in Washington, D.C., and she’s also working to help put on a summit for families in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties in October in Santa Barbara. 

The Emilio Velci Share Aloha Project will also be starting a chapter in Hawaii starting in February of next year, as that is where the family is from. The next Evening of Aloha will be taking place in Atascadero on April 27, 2024, which would have been Emilio’s 21st birthday.