Charges have been unsealed against executives and sales reps in illegal distribution of 70 million opioid pills worth $1.3B, targeting Houston-area pill mills.
George Frey/Reuters The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has unsealed charges against 13 individuals, including pharmaceutical distributor executives, sales representatives, and brokers, in connection with the unlawful distribution of nearly 70 million opioid pills and more than 30 million doses of other commonly abused prescription drugs.
The charged individuals include five pharmaceutical distributor executives: Sheldon Dounn, 71, of Plantation, Florida, charged with unlawfully distributing controlled substances and conspiracy to defraud the United States (charges unsealed); Richard “Dick” Osbourne, 78, of Memphis, Tennessee, charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances (pleaded guilty); Hernan Alvarez, 52, of Phoenix, charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances involving more than 18.6 million opioid units (pleaded guilty); Joshua Weinstein, 50, of Miami, charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances related to more than 7 million opioid pills (pleaded guilty); and Eric Bailey, 59, of St. Louis, charged with possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone and oxycodone involving over 11 million pills (pleaded guilty).
“We’ve issued 28 immediate suspension orders and eight orders to show cause to halt illegal distribution channels.
Bottles of prescription painkiller OxyContin made by Purdue Pharma LP sit on a shelf at a local pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on April 25, 2017.
Also charged were five pharmaceutical sales representatives and brokers: Courtney Rotenberry, 45, of Savannah, Tennessee, charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to use a communications facility to further a drug felony (pleaded guilty); Derrick “Chad” Atkinson, 40, of Lumberton, North Carolina, charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances involving more than 7 million opioid pills (charged by information); Jason Smith, 43, of Plantation, Florida, charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances (pleaded guilty); Joseph Pesserillo, 38, of The Villages, Florida, charged with conspiracy to use a communications facility to further a drug felony (charged by information); and Cassandra Rivera, 40, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, charged with conspiracy to use a communications facility to further a drug felony (charged by information).
“The defendants, including pharmaceutical drug distributors, allegedly exploited the opioid crisis for profit—selling dangerous and addictive drugs to pill-mill pharmacies at above-market prices, knowing that the drugs would end up on the black market,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the DOJ’s Criminal Division.
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