Former Halfway House Employee Sentenced for Selling Heroin to Residents

A former employee of a halfway house near Symphony Hall was sentenced this week in federal court for distributing heroin to residents, United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz announced.

Deborah Belim, 44, of Roxbury was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patti Saris to one month of incarceration followed by 24 months of supervised release.

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors were prepared to introduce evidence proving that Belim engaged in a conspiracy with her boyfriend to sell heroin to residents of the Coolidge House, where she was employed, a press release stated.

The Coolidge House, located on Huntington Avenue just a few blocks from Mass Ave., offers a residential program for male and female offenders referred from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Coolidge House staff provide case management services with an emphasis on helping former prisoners re-enter society, according to its website.

In her capacity as Program Monitor at the Coolidge House, Belim was responsible for monitoring residents’ compliance with program rules, prosecutors said. Her duties included performing bag checks, pat downs, bed checks and breathalyzer tests.

Instead, evidence showed that in 2007 Belim engaged in a romantic relationship with a resident of the Coolidge House who sold heroin to other residents. After his release from the program, the man moved in with Belim, who then began bringing heroin to the Coolidge House and selling it on his behalf, prosecutors said.

Belim was ordered to self-surrender on April 29, 2011 to begin serving her sentence.