DEA Archived Press Releases

Press Releases before January 20, 2025
400 Results - Showing 121 to 130
PRESS RELEASE

Long Island Doctor Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Illegal Distribution of Oxycodone

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...
PRESS RELEASE

Nurse Who Stole Painkillers, Replacing Them with Saline and Putting Surgical Patients at Risk, Sentenced to Four Years

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...
PRESS RELEASE

Denton Physician Sentenced for Over-Prescribing Opioids

DALLAS, TX – A Denton physician has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations announced Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Eduardo A. Chávez today. Stanley Charles Evans, 63, pleaded guilty on Sep. 12, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances and health care...
PRESS RELEASE

Communities Across the Country Remove Nearly 664,000 Pounds of Unneeded Prescription Medications to Prevent Drug Misuse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On April 22, 2023, DEA and its law enforcement partners came together once again to protect our communities from prescription misuse by safely disposing of 663,725 pounds of unneeded medications at nearly 5,000 collection sites across the country. Since its inception in 2010, DEA’s bi-annual National Prescription...
PRESS RELEASE

East Windsor Man Sentenced to Prison for Oxycodone Prescription Fraud Scheme

EAST WINDSOR, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAYSON KEMP, 46, of East Windsor, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release...
PRESS RELEASE

DEA, SAMHSA Extend COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescribing Controlled Medications for Six Months While Considering Comments from the Public

WASHINGTON – Today, ahead of the expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued the “Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications” – a temporary rule that extends telemedicine flexibilities...
PRESS RELEASE

Former Paramedic Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Stealing Medical-Grade Fentanyl

DENVER - 41-year-old Christopher Robert Pattinson of Commerce City, was sentenced to three years in prison for tampering with fentanyl intended for patient use according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. According to the plea agreement, Pattinson was a Paramedic Field Lieutenant Supervisor at a Denver-area...
PRESS RELEASE

New Jersey Doctor Admits Health Care Fraud Targeting Amtrak

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey doctor today admitted participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Muhammad Mirza, 50, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with...
PRESS RELEASE

Santa Rosa Doctor Sentenced to More than Two Years in Prison for Unlawfully Prescribing Fentanyl and Oxycodone

SAN FRANCISCO –Thomas Keller, formerly a pain management doctor in Santa Rosa, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for distributing Schedule II and IV controlled substances outside the scope of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical need, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, Drug Enforcement...
PRESS RELEASE

Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division Announces Spring Take Back Day

El Paso, Texas – The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the date of its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday, April 22, DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug...