DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
270 Results - Showing 161 to 170
PRESS RELEASE

State lawmaker indicted for stem cell fraud scheme, illegally distributing prescription drugs

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An elected Missouri state representative has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a fraud scheme in which she made false claims about a supposed stem cell treatment marketed through her clinics in southern Missouri, and for illegally providing prescription drugs to clients of those clinics...
PRESS RELEASE

New Hampshire businessman pleads guilty to spice distribution & fatal overdose

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Seabrook, New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today to his role in a nationwide conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice” or “K2.” According to court documents, William Walsh, 56, operated two shops in Seabrook—“Up N Smoke” and “The Smoking Monkey”—from which he sold retail...
PRESS RELEASE

Alleged leaders of Gangster Disciples indicted on racketeering charges

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Steven D. Weinhoeft, announced today that seven alleged members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, including top national and state leaders, have been charged in a federal indictment accusing them of a years-long interstate racketeering conspiracy...
PRESS RELEASE

Oklahoma Files First Degree Murder on Drug Dealer

OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed first degree murder and drug distribution charges on an alleged drug dealer and is continuing an investigation into the supply chain. According to court documents, Jerry Leflore, 32, is accused of selling fake Oxycodone pills that contained Fentanyl to two individuals...
PRESS RELEASE

Mount Vernon, Washington, woman pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl-tainted pills

SEATTLE - A 22-year-old Mount Vernon, Washington, woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Rosaliana Lopez-Rodriguez sold counterfeit oxycodone pills tainted with fentanyl in Skagit and Whatcom Counties. The pills are connected to at least two overdoses, including the overdose death of...
PRESS RELEASE

Members of drug ring connecting North Dakota Indian Reservations and Michigan residents face federal charges

FARGO, N.D., – On January 7, Drew Wrigley, U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota, announced charges against 26 defendants involved in Operation Blue Prairie, a drug pipeline connecting individuals in Detroit, Michigan, to the Spirit Lake, Turtle Mountain and Fort Berthold Indian Reservations in North Dakota. Drug Enforcement...
PRESS RELEASE

Anchorage doctor sentenced for prescribing medically unnecessary opioids in health care fraud scheme

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Michael Don Robertson, 68, a former Anchorage psychiatrist, was sentenced on January 6, 2021, by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason to 12 months home confinement and five years of probation for conspiracy to commit controlled substance fraud and one count of health care fraud. Robertson...
PRESS RELEASE

Buffalo woman sentenced for conspiring with a former local doctor to illegally distribute controlled substances

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Laura Ricotta, 29, of Buffalo, who was convicted of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamine, was sentenced to time served (approximately 15 months) by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Assistant...
PRESS RELEASE

Doctor Pays $153,000 to Resolve Allegations of Overprescribing Opioids at his Escondido Clinic

SAN DIEGO –Escondido pain clinic doctor Bradley Chesler, M.D., has paid the United States $153,000 to resolve allegations that he overprescribed opioids. Dr. Chesler is a board-certified physiatrist who operates a pain clinic in Escondido, California. This settlement stems from the United States’ investigation into whether Dr. Chesler illegally prescribed...
PRESS RELEASE

Doctor admits soliciting sexual favors from patients in exchange for opioids

TRENTON, N.J. – Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, Susan A. Gibson, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, announced a New York doctor today admitted distributing opioids without a legitimate medical reason and soliciting sexual favors from patients in...