Monmouth County, N.J., Doctor Pleads Guilty To Oxycodone Distribution And Conspiracy
TRENTON, N.J. - Robert G. Koval, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement (DEA) and Paul J. Fishman, the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced a doctor who allegedly wrote illegal prescriptions for oxycodone, today admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute the medication illegally.
Jacqueline Lopresti, 52, of Fair Haven, N.J., pleaded guilty before Judge Freda L. Wolfson to an Information charging her with one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and 11 counts of distribution of oxycodone.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Oxycodone is the active ingredient in brand name pills such as Oxycontin, Roxicodone and Percocet. It is a Schedule II controlled substance - meaning that it has a high potential for abuse. It has a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. Abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
In 2009, Lopresti issued prescriptions to co-conspirators for drugs containing oxycodone, outside the usual course of medical practice and not for any legitimate medical purpose. The prescriptions were filled at various pharmacies located in and around Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic counties, N.J., and redistributed by others.
The charge to which the defendant pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2013. U.S. Attorney Fishman credited the N.J. DEA Tactical Diversion Squad, composed of DEA special agents, diversion investigators and intelligence analysts; FBI and IRS special agents; and local law enforcement officers from the Essex County Sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics, Newark Police Department, Elizabeth Police Department, Clinton Township Police Department, and Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko of the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Trenton.
