ST. LOUIS – A man from Seattle, Wash., on Thursday admitted buying 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web. Maximillian Gregory Verbowski, 28, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs, selling counterfeit drugs and using a fictitious name on mail to commit...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Todd C. Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Chicago, and U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris for the Central District of Illinois announced that Vonta Commer, 37, of Springfield, was sentenced on June 13, 2023, to 180 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by five...

BOISE – Rachel Peay-Goodman, a nurse practitioner in eastern Idaho, consented to judgment against her after admitting that she unlawfully prescribed controlled substances and submitted false claims to Medicare while working for AmeriHealth in Pocatello, announced U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. The judgment found Peay‑Goodman civilly liable for violating the Controlled...

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Richard A. Philbrick, 37, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 400 grams or more fentanyl. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10...

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man today admitted defrauding his employer’s health insurance plan out of more than $4 million by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary compounded medications, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division Cheryl Ortiz and Attorney for the...

DENVER – Howard Weiss of Greenwood Village was sentenced to six months in federal prison for distributing a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice, for structuring financial transactions in a way to evade reporting requirements, and for engaging in monetary transactions greater than $10,000 that were derived...

TRENTON, N.J. – Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division Cheryl Ortiz and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced a Mercer County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 130 months in prison for his role as the leader of a Trenton drug-trafficking organization responsible...

Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte approved the United States’ consent decree with Abtin Youssefi-Rashti, a Montgomery County based pharmacist, and Upton Care Pharmacy, Inc. (“Upton Care”), resolving the United States’ civil allegations that Youssefi-Rashti and Upton Care violated the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) in illegally dispensing...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Frank Parasmo, a former medical doctor, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 36 months in prison for his conviction on 32 counts of unlawfully distributing oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription painkiller, to 18 patients...

RALEIGH, N.C. – A former Fuquay-Varina nurse was sentenced today to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release for tampering with painkillers intended for surgery patients. On March 9, 2022, Melissa Elizabeth Chacona pled guilty to the charges. “Surgical patients trust healthcare providers to give them the...