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Large-Scale Counterfeit Pill Manufacturer Pleads Guilty

posted 4 days ago
Defendant Sought to Import Kilograms of Fentanyl Precursor Chemicals into the United States and Obtained $40,000 in Fraudulent PPP Loans BOSTON – A Cambridge, Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with an ongoing investigation of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Over the course of the past four years, the defendant is alleged to have been responsible for the manufacturing of over 200 kilograms of counterfeit pills. Schuyler Oppenheimer, a/k/a “SK,” a/k/a “Michael Sylvain,” 35, of Cambridge pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine ...

"Pink cocaine" is spreading in U.S. — and users don't know what's in it

posted 9 days ago
A drug marketed as "pink cocaine" is turning up more often in U.S. nightclubs and busts, alarming health officials because it's usually not cocaine at all. And no two batches are the same. Why it matters: The potent powder — part of a new wave of polydrugs — is a dangerous cocktail of drugs, commonly ketamine and ecstasy, sometimes mixed with methamphetamine or fentanyl. Read Article #Ketamine #Tusi-PinkCocaine

Oklahoma Medical Supply Company Owner Indicted for $30M Health Care Fraud Scheme

posted 11 days ago
An indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida today charging an Oklahoma chiropractor and medical supply company owner for his role in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent claims to multiple federal health care programs for orthotic braces and other durable medical equipment (DME), and for the theft of government funds intended to support health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the indictment, Mark Loftis, 38, of Cushing, Oklahoma, was the owner of a medical supply company called Back Pain Home Supplies LLC, which did business as EZ Medical Supply. As alleged, Loftis paid illegal kickbacks to marketers in exchange for the ...

Artificial intelligence begins prescribing medications in Utah

posted 13 days ago
Pilot program will test how far patients and regulators are willing to trust AI in medicine. In a first for the U.S., Utah is letting artificial intelligence — not a doctor — renew certain medical prescriptions. No human involved. Read Article #Utah #NewTechnology #ArtificialIntelligence(AI)

Indiana troopers find $7 million worth of cocaine during tractor-trailer stop

posted 14 days ago
Police in Indiana seized over 300 pounds of cocaine over the weekend during an inspection stop of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 70. Indiana State Police said in a news release they seized 309 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop near the Cloverdale Exit Saturday afternoon. ISP said the truck was en route from Joplin, Missouri, to Richmond, Indiana. Read Full Article #Indiana #Cocaine #Interdiction

‘It’s made things worse for everyone’: Philadelphia grapples with rise of new street drug

posted 28 days ago
Medetomidine has extreme and fast-acting withdrawal symptoms – and the detox centers that help patients are struggling with how best to cope Read Article #Pennsylvania #Medetomidine #EmergingDrugTrends

Doctor Indicted for Orchestrating $45M Botox Fraud Scheme Targeting Medicare

posted 12-18-2025
A federal grand jury in California returned a superseding indictment yesterday charging a doctor for allegedly submitting more than $45 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for Botox injections and for obstructing a criminal investigation by allegedly submitting falsified medical records in response to a grand jury subpoena. According to court documents, Violetta Mailyan, 45, of Los Angeles County, owned and operated Healthy Way Medical Center (Healthy Way), which allegedly billed Medicare for Botox injections that were medically unnecessary and never provided, including for injections on dates when Mailyan was traveling internationally, on dates ...

Digital Health Company and Medical Practice Indicted in $100M Adderall Distribution Scheme

posted 12-17-2025
The Digital Health Company Was Also Charged with Health Care Fraud and Obstruction Conspiracies A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an indictment yesterday charging a California company for its participation in a years-long scheme to illegally distribute Adderall over the internet, conspire to commit health care fraud in connection with the submission of false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement for Adderall and other stimulants, and conspire to obstruct justice. A Florida medical practice was also charged in connection with its alleged participation in the scheme to illegally distribute Adderall. “As alleged, Done Global used lies ...

More than $400K worth of fake pharmaceuticals seized at Cincinnati airport

posted 12-16-2025
Hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of fake and prohibited pharmaceuticals have been intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati. CBP officials say officers working alongside the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seized nearly 400 shipments containing more than 8,500 pairs of undeclared or misdeclared contact lenses. Another 50 shipments included misbranded or illegal FDA-regulated drugs and medical devices, including GLP-1 weight loss medications, Botox, dermal fillers, skincare products, and other prohibited substances and powders. Read Article #Ohio #AdulteratedDrug #DrugSeizure #Counterfeit

DEA Laboratory Testing Identifies New Soft/Pliable Form of Fentanyl

posted 12-13-2025
The DEA Laboratory System recently identified a concerning new form of fentanyl that potentially poses a risk to public health and safety. This substance, found in various colors and textures, is soft and pliable, allowing it to be molded and shaped. Laboratory testing reveals that this form contains combinations of fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, and other adulterants, with purity levels ranging from less than 1% to over 20%. Even at low concentrations, fentanyl is extremely potent and can be lethal. This newly identified form of fentanyl differs from traditional samples, which are typically powders or pills. Its unique texture and appearance may be ...

Missouri Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for $174M Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

posted 12-12-2025
On Oct. 23, a Missouri man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud Medicare by unlawfully billing hundreds of millions of dollars in claims for cancer genetic testing and cardiovascular genetic testing. According to court documents, Jamie P. McNamara, 50, of Kansas City, operated several laboratories in Louisiana and Texas, which obtained doctors’ orders for genetic testing from telemarketers and call centers that used aggressive telemarketing campaigns to induce Medicare beneficiaries to agree to receive genetic testing. Orders for genetic testing were signed by purported telemedicine doctors who were not the beneficiaries’ ...

Pharmacist Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison for $6M Health Care Fraud Scheme

posted 12-12-2025
On October 21, a Michigan pharmacist was sentenced to 80 months in prison for defrauding health care benefit programs by billing for prescription medications that he never dispensed. According to court documents, Isaiah Okoh, 55, of Sterling Heights, billed health care benefit programs for prescription medications that he did not actually dispense to patients at three pharmacies in Michigan. From 2019 through 2022, Okoh and his co-conspirator sent false claims to health care benefit programs for prescription drugs that were not ordered by a doctor and were not dispensed to the patient. Okoh and his co-conspirator used forged prescriptions from doctors to hide ...

Wound Graft Company Owners Sentenced for $1.2B Health Care Fraud and Agree to Pay $309M to Resolve Civil Liability Under the False Claims Act

posted 12-12-2025
In the first prosecution of its kind, the owners of several Arizona wound graft companies were sentenced to significant terms of incarceration for causing over $1.2 billion of false and fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare and other health insurance programs for medically unnecessary wound grafts that were ordered as a result of illegal kickbacks and applied to elderly and terminally ill patients. On Oct.7 Alexandra Gehrke was sentenced to 15.5 years in prison, and on Oct. 10 her husband, Jeffrey King, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. According to court documents, Gehrke, 39, and King, 46, both of Phoenix, orchestrated a large-scale wound-care ...

Doctor Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for $24M Medicare Fraud

posted 12-12-2025
On October 23, a New York doctor was sentenced to seven years in prison for causing the submission of over $24 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces. He was also ordered to pay $2,210,384 in restitution. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alexander Baldonado, M.D., 69, of Queens, received tens of thousands of dollars in illegal cash kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering laboratory tests, including expensive cancer genetic tests, that were billed to Medicare by two laboratories located in New York. As part of the scheme, Baldonado authorized hundreds of cancer ...

Pediatrician pleads guilty to writing prescriptions in exchange for sex, money

posted 12-12-2025
A pediatrician in Missouri accused of writing prescriptions in exchange for sex and money has pleaded guilty. Dr. Craig A. Spiegel, who practiced in Bridgeton, admitted to illegally distributing controlled substances, making false statements in court, and conspiracy to distribute drugs. Read Article #Missouri #SexforDrugs #ProviderArrest(s) #RxFraud

Federal Court Permanently Prohibits Tampa-area Pharmacist from Filling Opioids Prescriptions and Pharmacy Dissolved

posted 12-10-2025
Monday, a federal court prohibited a Tampa-area pharmacist from filling prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances and entered a civil penalty against him in a case alleging violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In a complaint filed in August 2022, the United States alleges that Nathaniel Esalomi unlawfully distributed powerful opioids by filling prescriptions he knew were not valid at Apexx Pharmacy in Hudson, Florida, where he was the owner and sole pharmacist. The complaint alleges that Esalomi charged dramatically inflated prices to fill opioid prescriptions and accepted thousands of dollars in cash for the drugs. The complaint ...

Pharmacist in Spokane County suspended due to diversion of controlled substances

posted 12-09-2025
The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission suspended the license of Spokane County pharmacist Sandra Lee Symington Bang (PH00021680) pending further legal action. Bang allegedly falsified prescriptions to obtain medications, including controlled substances, for her personal use. The suspension prohibits Bang from practicing as a pharmacist in Washington to protect patient safety and public health. Bang has 20 days to request a hearing to contest the charges. Legal documents related to this case are posted online and can be found via the Provider Credential Search on the Department of Health website . Copies can also be requested by calling 360-236-4700. ...

Florida sheriff calls massive drug operation '"Breaking Bad" on steroids' after record-breaking bust

posted 12-04-2025
Maxwell Horvath facing charges after authorities seize weapons, 92,000 pounds of illegal substances Read Full Article and See video #7-OH #EmerginingDrugTrend #Florida #WeaponsInvolved #DrugSeizure

DEA Launches Fentanyl Free America Initiative to Combat the Synthetic Drug Crisis

posted 12-03-2025
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. This effort underscores DEA's unwavering commitment to protecting American lives and communities from the devastating impacts of fentanyl, which claimed nearly 50,000 lives last year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through intensified enforcement operations and heightened intelligence, DEA is applying unprecedented pressure on the ...

Texas Man Charged with Conspiracy to Obtain Controlled Substances by Fraud

posted 12-03-2025
A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Louisiana returned an indictment today charging a Texas man with a scheme to obtain controlled substances from multiple pharmacies using fraudulent prescriptions and then sell those drugs on the street. According to court documents, Darrion Denard Brooks, 28, of Houston, and co-conspirators, used fictitious identification information to obtain fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances on behalf of patients who either did not exist or for whom medical providers did not authorize the prescriptions. As alleged in the indictment, from November 2023 through March 2025, Brooks and his co-conspirators fraudulently ...