Earlier this month in Long Island and New York City almost 100 defendants were officially charged with prescription drug crimes. Charges included both federal and state law violations as authorities from both jurisdictions have been working together on this problem.
This investigation started in February, focusing on people who use fraudulent prescriptions to get and sell large amounts of painkillers and other addictive prescription drugs like Klonopin, methadone and oxycodone. Those charged included:
- A medical-office manager who allegedly wrote fraudulent prescriptions for acquaintances
- A physician who allegedly sold oxycodone prescriptions
- A doctor who allegedly prescribed more than 780,000 oxycodone pills in an almost three-year period to known drug addicts without medical exams
If convicted of these crimes, the licensed physicians involved could serve from seven to 20 year prison sentences.
The local U.S. attorney compared the severity of the prescription-drug problem to that of illegal drugs like cocaine, including the accompanying likelihood of violence. One district attorney noted that related incidents of robberies, deaths from drug overdoses, driving while under the influence of drugs and criminal distribution of prescription drugs are all increasing.
Anyone in New York investigated for or accused of involvement in the illegal distribution of prescription drugs by either state or federal law enforcement should consult an experienced criminal defense attorney about how to handle the situation.
Source: Reuters, “Doctors arrested in New York prescription drug crackdown,” Jonathan Allen, June 7, 2012