Danielle Brogna, 25.

NASHUA – Barely a year ago, Danielle Brogna was 24, homeless, and “consumed by addiction,” living day to day in “a very dark place,” according to her attorney.

Arrests on drug-related allegations threatened to become a regular occurance; indeed, police had taken Brogna into custody on three occasions between Feb. 25 and March 18 of 2019. Each time, she was accused of selling controlled drugs. And those weren’t her only arrests, according to her case history on file in Superior Court.

But today, the 25-year-old version of Danielle Brogna is in a far different place, where “hard work” in drug-treatment programs and a “commitment to recovery” have, her attorney said, resulted in Brogna taking a lot of “significant steps forward.”

The “hard work” to which Attorney Justin Hayes refers in his sentencing memorandum also appears to have helped shape the terms of the plea agreement that he and prosecutors worked out, and which was accepted by Judge Jacalyn Colburn at last week’s hearing.

Brogna agreed to plead guilty to the three felony counts of sale of a controlled drug in exchange for three, 1-3 year terms in State Prison, all deferred for one year.

The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning at the same time. The agreement includes a $500 fine, also suspended conditioned upon good behavior and compliance with other terms, one of which orders Brogna to pay $180 restitution to Nashua Police Department.

Hayes, noting that Brogna successfully completed a residential treatment program in April 2019, said she now lives in a sober house where she “complies with all the rules and remains committed to her recovery.”

He indicated Brogna’s relationship with her family appears to be improving, and singled out as an example the praise she received from one particular family member.

“Her grandmother told her this is the proudest she’s ever been of Danielle,” Hayes wrote, adding that her grandmother “told her that in June 2019 – just before she died.”

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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