Maryland educator accused of dealing drugs during school hours now faces federal charges

BURTONSVILLE, Md. — The Montgomery County first-grade teacher who was arrested for allegedly selling the drugs that killed a D.C. man is now facing federal charges.

Sarah Magid, 34, was teaching at Charles Drew Elementary, a public school in Silver Spring, while she was also allegedly trafficking various types of narcotics, including fentanyl, for months, district court documents say. She was arrested by Montgomery County Police Aug. 13 on multiple charges for narcotics distribution.

Now, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the district of Maryland announced that she is being charged federally with distributing fentanyl that resulted in the serious bodily injury and death of a victim. 

In March, the autopsy of a man who died in Washington, D.C., found his cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. When investigators looked into his death, they found text messages between him and Magid going back to January. In the messages, they set up multiple meetings to exchange drugs. Two days before his death, messages show him planning to meet with Magid so they could exchange pills that had been pressed to appear like 30 milligrams of oxycodone hydrochloride. But court documents say the pills actually contained fentanyl. 

Soon after the meeting and transaction, the man was found dead, court documents say.

In July, police received a tip that the teacher had left her classroom to sell drugs outside of the school. When investigators searched Magid’s phone, more text messages indicated that she had been dealing drugs during the school day.

She had been an employee of the Montgomery County School System since 2022.

Magid is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted, and up to a maximum life sentence.