LA Homeless-Services Worker Arrested for Fentanyl

Christopher Barret Johnson, a 42-year-old Culver City man who worked for People Assisting the Homeless, was arrested on May 21 on a federal charge of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Prosecutors said Johnson was stopped by Los Angeles police near MacArthur Park on May 5 while driving a white BMW and was later found with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cash and packaging materials. The case drew attention because prosecutors identified Johnson as an employee of PATH, a nonprofit that provides homeless services and distributes syringes in Los Angeles, including in MacArthur Park. Johnson was scheduled to make his initial appearance on May 22 in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. ### Who is the worker federal prosecutors arrested? Christopher Barret Johnson is the man named in the criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles. The Justice Department said Johnson worked for PATH, formally known as People Assisting the Homeless, a nonprofit that offers street outreach, interim housing and permanent housing services. (justice.gov) PATH’s own website describes the organization as a California-based nonprofit focused on ending homelessness for individuals, families and communities. Federal prosecutors said PATH also served as a syringe-distribution vendor in MacArthur Park, an area they described as having high poverty and frequent drug use. ### What do prosecutors say happened near MacArthur Park? May 5 is the date prosecutors say Los Angeles Police Department officers stopped Johnson’s car in the MacArthur Park area at about 10:20 p.m. (justice.gov) According to the affidavit summarized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, officers saw a white BMW without a front license plate make an abrupt U-turn in front of them and then conducted a traffic stop. (epath.org) The affidavit says Johnson was the only person in the car and “appeared very nervous” during the stop. Prosecutors said an officer saw a baggie containing methamphetamine on the center console, noticed two knives in Johnson’s waistband, and then found another baggie of methamphetamine in Johnson’s left front trouser pocket during a pat-down search. (justice.gov) ### What was found in the car? A partially opened backpack in the BMW contained baggies of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a digital scale with fentanyl residue, empty plastic baggies and cash, according to the federal press release. Prosecutors said officers also found more baggies of fentanyl inside a dish soap container and additional cash and plastic baggies in the center console. (justice.gov) Laboratory analysis later confirmed that the drugs seized from Johnson’s car and person included at least 142 grams of a substance containing fentanyl and nearly 46 grams of methamphetamine, the Justice Department said. The charge announced by prosecutors was possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. (justice.gov) ### Why did the arrest draw broader scrutiny? MacArthur Park has been a focus of recent federal drug enforcement in Los Angeles. On May 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced charges against 18 defendants in what it described as a takedown of an open-air drug market in and around the park, where authorities said fentanyl and methamphetamine were being sold. (justice.gov) April 8, 2025 is also the date U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced a Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force for the Central District of California. The office said that task force would investigate fraud, waste, abuse and corruption involving money allocated to address homelessness across the district’s seven counties. (justice.gov) The Justice Department press release on Johnson did not say that PATH itself had been charged or accused of wrongdoing. The release identified Johnson as a worker at the organization and described the circumstances of the traffic stop and seizure. ### What is known about PATH’s role? People Assisting the Homeless is a long-running nonprofit founded in Los Angeles in 1983, according to its website. (justice.gov) The organization says it provides housing and supportive services in more than 150 cities and counties and operates programs in Los Angeles County and other parts of California. Federal prosecutors said PATH served as a vendor distributing syringes in MacArthur Park. (justice.gov) Publicly available search results reviewed for this story did not show a statement from PATH responding to Johnson’s arrest as of May 22. ### What happens next in the case? May 22 was the date set for Johnson’s initial appearance in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. (epath.org) Attorney’s Office and the DEA. Court proceedings in the criminal case will determine whether prosecutors pursue indictment and what conditions, if any, govern Johnson’s release while the case moves forward. (justice.gov)