Co-owner of popular Gettysburg restaurant charged with selling drugs behind the eatery
A co-owner of a longtime, popular Gettysburg bar and restaurant is facing numerous felony charges related to the sale of drugs behind the establishment, according to court records.
Cristina Fazzolari, 38, of Orrtana, has been charged by the Adams County Drug Task Force with felony charges related to the delivery of cocaine, conspiracy to deliver cocaine, possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, criminal use of a cellphone, and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child, according to charging documents filed on Monday.
Fazzolari had been co-running the popular Mamma Ventura’s Restauraunt and Lounge, in the first block of Chambersburg Street in Downtown Gettysburg, with her mother, Jackie Fazzolari, since her father’s passing in 2003, according to the restaurant’s website.
Mamma Ventura’s has been open in the area since 1977, when Fazzolari’s father, Carmelo Fazzolari, opened a pizza shop in downtown Gettysburg.
Mamma Ventura’s Restaurant & Lounge is seen on the first block of Chambersburg Street, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in downtown Gettysburg.
On the restaurant’s website, Cristina Fazzolari is described as a “celebrated chef” who graduated from the Cordon Bleu School in Pittsburgh.
Fazzolari was charged along with her husband, John Anderson, 46, of Orrtana, according to the charging documents.
In addition to the charges Fazzolari is facing, Anderson faces additional charges of prohibited possession of a firearm and the possession of drug paraphernalia, the documents show.
Anderson was unable to post $50,000 bail and remains confined inside Adams County Prison, according to court records, while Fazzolari is awaiting a preliminary hearing.
Mamma Ventura’s Restaurant & Lounge is seen on the first block of Chambersburg Street, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in downtown Gettysburg.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, in early 2024 the Adams County Drug Task Force received information suggesting that employees of Mamma Ventura’s were involved in the sale of controlled substances.
On April 17, 2024, officers observed Fazzolari selling cocaine in the alleyway behind the restaurant, which was facilitated using a cellphone, according to the affidavit. The cocaine was taken to the Pennsylvania State Police lab, where it was confirmed to be cocaine, the documents state.
During the transaction, Anderson was seen watching over the exchange, the affidavit states.
Then, on June 5, 2024, a second sale was organized with Anderson by cellphone. Fazzolari was seen by officers driving Anderson to a convenience store on Chambersburg Street, near the restaurant, where Anderson delivered cocaine, the affidavit states.
During the June 5 sale, police observed the couple’s child in the rear of their vehicle, according to the affidavit.
Mamma Ventura’s Restaurant & Lounge is seen on the first block of Chambersburg Street, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in downtown Gettysburg.
Two days later, on June 7, 2024, police served a search warrant on the couple’s Orrtana home, the affidavit states.
Inside, police retrieved 32 plastic bags of marijuana that were “packaged for easy sales and distribution,” the affidavit said.
Along with marijuana, officers recovered 16 green tablets, which contained fentanyl, according to the affidavit, and a digital scale that contained traces of cocaine and marijuana.
Police conducted an interview with Anderson after his arrest, in which he admitted he sold sold cocaine to pay for domestic relations, the affidavit states. Anderson told officers that Fazzolari sold cocaine at his direction to “help him out,” the affidavit states.
The restaurant remains open, as of Oct. 1.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Co-owner of Gettysburg PA restaurant charged with selling drugs
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