United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, Cedric Moss, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert. Moss pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription pain killer, on October 9, 2014.

The sentence was announced by James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Hunt stated, “Cashing in on a national health crisis, Cedric Moss oversaw the diversion of millions of dollars’ worth of diverted pain medication throughout Long Island. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the will of law enforcement to continue to investigate and arrest those who illegally distribute opioids in our communities.”

 “Cedric Moss masterminded a criminal organization that for over a year forged prescriptions for a highly addictive and dangerous prescription drug, fueling an increasing addiction crisis on Long Island and elsewhere. Today’s sentence serves as a reminder to those who flood our streets with illegally obtained drugs that they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly T. Currie. Mr. Currie extended his grateful appreciation to the DEA, the agency responsible for leading the government’s investigation, and thanked the New York City Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for its assistance in this case.

As detailed in the defendant’s guilty plea allocution and court filings, between January 2013 and February 2014, Moss and his organization illegally obtained and sold more than 95,000 oxycodone 30 mg tablets, which were trafficked throughout Long Island, New York City, and the East Coast. The organization illegally obtained stolen blank prescription pads to create forged prescriptions using computer software and printers. More than 190 “runners” then posed as patients and filled the prescriptions at various pharmacies. Previously, three members of Moss’s organization pleaded guilty to felony charges for their participation in this scheme.

Moss’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in this jurisdiction, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the New York City Police Department, and New York State Police, along with other key federal, state, and local government partners, launched the Prescription Drug Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the

United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention has called an epidemic increase in the abuse of so-called opioid analgesics. So far, the Initiative has brought over 160 federal and local criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 16 health care professionals, taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy, and a pharmacy chain, removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors, and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers.

The Initiative also is involved in an extensive community outreach program to address the abuse of pharmaceuticals. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad, comprising agents and officers of the DEA, Nassau County Police Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Port Washington Police Department.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Canty is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant: -
CEDRIC MOSS
Age: 48
Residence: Jamaica, New York