Ex-Rice football player accused in another player's death faces federal charges

HOUSTON – A former Rice University football player who was named a suspect in the overdose death of another player was arrested Thursday on federal charges.

Stuart Mouchantaf was indicted Wednesday on three charges, including conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute.

Mouchantaf was arrested on state charges in October in connection with the March 2 death of 21-year-old Blain Padgett.

Investigators accused Mouchantaff of providing Padgett with pills that Padgett thought contained hydrocodone. Instead, investigators said, the pills contained a powerful opioid analog called carfentanil.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carfentanil is used for the sedation of large animals. A lethal human dose of the drug is so small it can’t be seen by the eye, state prosecutors said.

Court records showed the state charges against Mouchantaf were dropped when the federal charges were filed.

Mouchantaf is expected to appear before a federal judge Friday.