A former American Idol contestant has received a four-year prison sentence for conspiring to distribute the opiate fentanyl.

Antonella Barba, age 32, a contestant on Season 6 of American Idol who finished in the top 16, received a sentence of 45 months in federal prison on Thursday in Us District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty in July to possessing with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. She was arrested delivering nearly two pounds of the opiate in Virginia in October 2018.

Barba’s lawyers argued that she was devastated by not doing better on American Idol. That led to her downward spiral after her 2007 appearance. She had attempted to pursue a career in acting and singing with minor impact. Court documents called her “driven” and “a perfectionist” in an attempt to mitigate the sentence.

Her mother said in the court documents that her “sudden move to Hollywood” following her show...