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Feds say NJ woman who appeared on ‘American Idol,’ ‘Fear Factor’ worked as drug ring courier

Antonella Barba, 32, of Point Pleasant, was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2010, file photo, Antonella Barba arrives to the 10th Anniversary of TAO restaurant in New York. A recently unsealed court document says the former contestant on both “American Idol” and “Fear Factor” worked as a courier for a drug ring and was trying to deliver nearly 2 pounds (830 grams) of fentanyl when she was arrested last year. The Virginian-Pilot reports Barba was back in custody Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, following a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. Barba was originally arrested last October in Norfolk. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2010, file photo, Antonella Barba arrives to the 10th Anniversary of TAO restaurant in New York. A recently unsealed court document says the former contestant on both “American Idol” and “Fear Factor” worked as a courier for a drug ring and was trying to deliver nearly 2 pounds (830 grams) of fentanyl when she was arrested last year. The Virginian-Pilot reports Barba was back in custody Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, following a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. Barba was originally arrested last October in Norfolk. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)Read moreCharles Sykes / AP

A New Jersey woman who formerly appeared as a contestant on both American Idol and Fear Factor was allegedly attempting to deliver about two pounds of fentanyl as part of her role as a courier for a drug ring when she was arrested in Virginia in 2018, according to a recently unsealed federal indictment.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that NJ native Antonella Barba, 32, of Point Pleasant, was back in custody on Monday as a result of the indictment, which charges her with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Prior to her arrest this week, Barba was out on bond as a result of her arrest last year, and was gearing up to start a trial in Virginia state court. She denied the charges against her after being arrested last year.

Barba also currently has a felony marijuana possession case pending in Kansas, and was charge with shoplifting in New York City in 2011.

The indictment against her indicates that Barba allegedly was a member of a large-scale drug ring that distributed illegal narcotics in Virginia between late 2017 and 2018. Barba was arrested in Oct. 2018, when the indictment claims a man named Justin Michael Isaac directed her to deliver some 830 grams of fentanyl to an unnamed co-conspirator.

Back in 2007, Barba appeared on American Idol’s sixth season, where she reached the top 16, but ultimately didn’t make the final cut. She also made headlines that year after semi-nude photos of her leaked online, causing a controversy that some fans worried would result in Barba being kicked off the show. Ultimately, however, she failed to garner enough votes to stay in the competition.

Barba also later appeared as a contestant on a 2012 episode of NBC’s Fear Factor in an episode titled “Roach Coach.” She was eliminated in the first round after her partner failed to free her from a locked shark cage that had been submerged underwater.

Currently, Barba is reportedly in federal custody. A detention hearing is scheduled to take place today.