United States Drug Enforcement Administration

OAKLAND, Calif. - On December 18, 2012, ten people were arrested for their participation in a network that obtained significant quantities of prescription narcotics through forged prescriptions, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.

Among those arrested were Letitia Montgomery, of Oakland, California, Beverly Cloudy, of Fairfield, California, and Cory Fuller and Tanisha Fuller, of Oakland, California. These individuals and several others are charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, obtaining controlled substances through fraud, forgery, or deception, and other crimes.

The complaint alleges that the prescription drug ring obtained the DEA registration numbers and medical license numbers of legitimate physicians, purchased pharmacy-grade prescription paper, and created fraudulent prescriptions for narcotic painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. The complaint alleges that members of the conspiracy then passed these fraudulent prescriptions at pharmacies and obtained the drugs. They are accused of doing so using their own identities, using high-quality fraudulent California Driver Licenses in other names, and by hiring others to fill the prescriptions.

The case began as parallel investigations by the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human (OIG/HHS) and the Tactical Diversion Squad of the Drug Enforcement (DEA). The two agencies then coordinated their investigations and joined with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force of the U.S. Attorney’s (OCDETF). The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

In addition to coordination between DEA and OIG/HHS, federal agents also received substantial assistance from a number of state and local law enforcement agencies who provided intelligence, information regarding local arrests for passing fraudulent prescriptions, surveillance, and other invaluable support. Among them were the San Francisco Police Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Woodland Police Department, the California Bureau of Fraud & Elderly Abuse, the Pleasant Hill Police Department, and others.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, those mentioned in the press release must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.