Hazleton man waives hearing in drug overdose death of wife

May 26—WILKES-BARRE — A Hazleton man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on allegations he provided a fatal dose of fentanyl to his wife.

Neal Forte, 55, was charged by Hazleton police on May 9 after a year-long investigation into the death of his wife, Brianna Wright-Forte, 27, on March 28, 2021.

Police responded to a reported overdose at the couple's residence on Seybert Street, where they found Wright-Forte unresponsive in a bathroom.

Officers administered several doses of Narcan in an attempt to revive Wright-Forte but were unsuccessful, police said.

Wright-Forte was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital — Hazleton where she was pronounced dead.

Autopsy results revealed Wright-Forte died as a result of a fentanyl overdose.

Investigators allegedly identified Forte as the person who supplied the fentanyl to his wife.

Forte was charged with drug delivery resulting in death and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Joseph Zola sending the charges to county court.

Forte remains jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility without bail.

In 1989, Forte, then 22, pled guilty to tax evasion and operating a criminal enterprise for his role in trafficking $1.6 million worth of cocaine from Miami, Fla., during the mid to late 1980s and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, according to previous published reports.

Forte further pled guilty in Luzerne County Court to possession with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance in 1989, and sentenced to 2 1/2 to five years in prison, according to published reports.

Reach Ed Lewis at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TLEdLewis