A pharmacist practicing in Morgantown, West Virginia, was prosecuted in the Northern District of West Virginia for using the pharmacy to move large quantities of oxycodone outside legitimate medical practice. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the conduct ran from August 2014 to August 2018 and involved more than 7,400 grams of oxycodone distributed in Monongalia County and elsewhere.
In May 2019 the pharmacist pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances outside the bounds of professional medical practice and one count of filing a false tax return. The tax count related to an April 2015 return that grossly understated taxable income, which prosecutors tied to proceeds from the drug distribution.
At sentencing the court imposed 121 months of incarceration. The pharmacist was ordered to pay $507,942.42 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and former employees, and a money judgment of $1,845,000 was entered. The press release does not describe how the scheme was first detected.
As part of the plea agreement, the pharmacist agreed to relinquish the pharmacy license permanently and not to seek reinstatement, and further agreed not to pursue any job that would require or permit handling or dispensing controlled substances during incarceration or supervised release. The U.S. Attorney emphasized that professional credentials do not shield licensees who illegally distribute opioids.