The Office of the Attorney General and Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) today announced that five individuals were charged in an 80-count indictment for their alleged participation in a statewide prescription drug theft scheme spanning 11 counties.
The state grand jury returned an indictment against Divinete Jeffries, 30, of East Orange; Kevin Lucanto, 48, of Paterson; Akeem Adelekan, 28, of East Orange; Otto Lachenauer, 43, of Westfield; and Satia Salters, 25, of East Orange. The case is the result of an extensive investigation by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor — Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), in partnership with federal, state, and local authorities.
“These defendants conspired to unlawfully gain entry to doctors’ offices, steal prescription blanks, and forge physicians’ signatures, in order to acquire a cough syrup commonly used as an ingredient in a dangerous narcotic cocktail,” said First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo. “This alleged conspiracy involved the use of fraud to further fuel the opioid epidemic.”
“Medical offices in various parts of the state, including Wayne, Morristown and Bridgewater, were targeted for burglary while pharmacists across the state were misled by these defendants into filling invalid prescriptions,” said Interim Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Al Garcia. “Anyone who engages in criminal, deceitful behavior to obtain drugs, particularly on a scale this vast, must be held accountable.”
The grand jury heard testimony that in 2022 and 2023, the defendants conspired in an elaborate scheme where Jeffries would allegedly burglarize medical offices and steal prescription pads from doctors. The stolen prescription pads would be used to forge prescriptions and were supplied to various pharmacies around the state. The prescriptions would be filled and issued to the defendants, who used stolen identities and fake manufactured drivers’ licenses to fraudulently obtain Promethazine with Codeine, a schedule V controlled dangerous substance (CDS), a cough syrup typically abused due to its opioid content.
- Divinete Jeffries was ordered detained by state Superior Court Judge Colleen M. Flynn in Middlesex County, and he will be held in detention at the Middlesex County Jail pending further proceedings. Jeffries was indicted on the following charges:
Conspiracy — one count, 2nd degree
Burglary — seven counts, one 2nd degree and six 3rd degree
Trafficking in personal identifying information — one count, 2nd degree
Manufacturing false government documents — one count, 2nd degree
Conspiracy — one count, 3rd degree
Theft — seven counts, 3rd degree
Attempt to obtain CDS by fraud — two counts, 3rd degree
Obtaining CDS by fraud — 14 counts, 3rd degree
Forgery — 18 counts, 3rd degree
Receiving stolen property — three counts, 3rd degree
Theft — one count, 4th degree
Possession of CDS — one count, 4th degree
Credit card theft — three counts, 4th degree - Kevin Lucanto was indicted on the following charges:
Conspiracy — one count, 3rd degree
Attempt to obtain CDS by fraud — one count, 3rd degree
Obtaining CDS by fraud — 14 counts, 3rd degree
Forgery — 14 counts, 3rd degree
Receiving stolen property — 15 counts, 3rd degree
Manufacturing false government documents — one count, 3rd degree
Hindering — one count, 4th degree - Akeem Adelekan was indicted on these charges:
Trafficking in personal identifying information — one count, 2nd degree
Receiving stolen property — two counts, 3rd degree
Hindering — one count, 4th degree - Otto Lachenauer was indicted on the following charges:
Conspiracy — one count, 3rd degree
Attempt to obtain CDS by fraud — one count, 3rd degree
Forgery — one count, 3rd degree
Manufacturing false government documents — one count, 3rd degree
Hindering — one count, 4th degree - Satia Salters was indicted on the following charges:
Conspiracy — one count of 2nd degree, one court of 3rd degree
Burglary — one count of 2nd degree, one count of 3rd degree
Attempt to obtain CDS by fraud — one count, 3rd degree
Forgery — one count, 3rd degree
Theft — one count, 4th degree
Detective Dominique DeFrancisci is leading the investigation assisted by Detective Chantel Blake, under the supervision of Lt. Jarek Pyrzanowski and Deputy Chief Rich King. Deputy Attorney General Lawrence Krayn is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant Bureau Chief Michael Klein and Bureau Chief Heather Hadley for the OIFP — MFCU. The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Jersey State Police, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Brick Police Department, Edison Police Department, Wayne Police Department, Hackettstown Police Department, Toms River Police Department, Millburn Police Department, Tenafly Police Department, Paramus Police Department, Bridgewater Police Department, Franklin Borough Police Department, East Orange Police Department, West Caldwell Police Department, Tinton Falls Police Department, Califon Police Department, Newton Police Department, Sparta Police Department, and the Morristown Police Department, all played integral roles in the investigation.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to ten years in New Jersey State Prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in New Jersey State Prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Fourth-degree charges carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in New Jersey State Prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
New Jersey MFCU’s total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2023 is $9,418,641. Of that total, 75 percent, or $7,063,984, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,354,657 for FY 2023, is funded by the State of New Jersey.
OIFP’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit specifically protects Medicaid beneficiaries and the Medicaid Program from fraud, waste, and abuse. To report Medicaid fraud or patient abuse and neglect, please email NJMFCU@njdcj.org or call 609-292-1272. If you are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud, you can report fraud anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to eligible persons who provide information that leads to an arrest, prosecution, and conviction for insurance fraud.
Tags: Arrests Opioid Crisis Pharmacy Crime Promethazine Rx Fraud