Twenty-Four Indicted In Oxycodone Trafficking And Health Care Fraud Scheme
Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

  • Get Updates
  • Scam Alert
  • Full Menu
  • English
  • Español

Main Menu

Explore DEA
  • Who We Are
    • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Divisions
    • DEA Museum
    • Wall of Honor
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Forensic Sciences
    • Law Enforcement
    • Education and Prevention
    • Drug Information
    • News
    • Campaigns
  • Careers
    • Special Agent
    • Diversion Investigator
    • Intelligence Research Specialist
    • Forensic Sciences Careers
    • Professional & Administrative Careers
    • Student & Entry Level Careers
    • Employment Eligibility
    • How to Apply
  • Resources
    • Illegal Online Pharmacies
    • OD Justice
    • Fentanyl Supply Chain
    • Pill Press Resources
    • Recovery Resources
    • Together for Families
    • Data and Statistics
    • FOIA
    • Publications
    • Media Galleries
    • Victim Witness Assistance Program
  • Submit A Tip

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Twenty-Four Indicted In Oxycodone Trafficking And Health Care Fraud Scheme

Twenty-Four Indicted In Oxycodone Trafficking And Health Care Fraud Scheme

October 12, 2011
|
Share Article
|
Download Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Miami.FD.PIO@dea.gov
Phone Number: (571) 362-3364 - Option 5

Defendants Used Public Funds to Finance Trafficking in Oxycodone and Oxymorphone

MIAMI, FL. - Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement (DEA), Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector (HHS-OIG), José A. Gonzalez, IRS Special Agent in Charge, Director James K. Loftus, Miami-Dade Police Department, Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and H. Frank Farmer, M.D., State Surgeon General, Florida Department of (DOH), announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging 24 defendants for their participation in, among other things, conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and oxymorphone, and conspiracy to defraud Medicare. Twenty-one of the defendants, including a doctor, a pharmacist and two pain clinic operators are currently in custody after a multi-agency takedown was executed early this morning. Three defendants, Hattie Mae Green, Eliezer Salgado and Ronald Regains, remain at large.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Schedule II prescription painkillers like oxycodone today cause more drug overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Oxycodone and other Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse and can be crushed and snorted, or dissolved and injected to get an immediate high. This abuse can lead to addiction, overdose, and sometimes death.

The nine-count indictment filed on September 30, 2011 and unsealed today, charges all defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely oxycodone and (Count 1), and conspiracy to commit health care (Count 9). Several of the defendants also face substantive charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled (Counts 2-6, 8), and attempted possession of controlled (Count 7).

Charged in the indictment are Aiman Izzedin Aryan, 40, of Pinecrest, Emerson Carmona, 40, of Miami, Frank J. Ballesteros, M.D., 57, of Miami, Gerardo Gomez, 38, of Miami, Juan De Dios Gomez, 40, of Miami, Danay C. Manso, 22, of Miami, Danilo Falcon, 38 of Miami, Eliezer Salgado, 29, of Hialeah, Francisco Hernandez, 57, of Miami, Leroy Paige, 49, of Madison, Alyssa Lyn Paige, 32, of Madison, Cynthia Suzette Adderley, 53, of Ft. Pierce, Victor D. Alexander, 50, of Ft. Lauderdale, Aaron Lamar Allen, 44, of Ft. Lauderdale, Henry Louis Conley, Jr., 53, of Miami, Hattie Mae Green, 53, of Miami, Petronella Smith Howard, 52, of Ft. Pierce, Eric Fyke Miller, 42, of Ft. Lauderdale, Annie Mims Simmons, 72, of Miami, Bobbie Lee Anderson, 58, of Gifford, Denise Darcelle Dardy, 48, of Miami, Margaret Marie Elliott, 54, of Ft. Pierce, Billy Joe McCoy, 53,of Ft. Pierce, and Ronald Regains, 56, of Ft. Lauderdale.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville said, “The Drug Enforcement Administration continues its relentless attack on those who supply the prescription drug epidemic in our country, state, and local communities. With today’s arrests, twenty four people will no longer add to this drug problem.”

U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer stated, “According to recent estimates, Florida prescribes ten times more oxycodone pills than all other states combined. Each day, individuals die from prescription drug overdoses. To stop this drug epidemic, we have previously charged clinic owners, operators, and doctors who deal drugs while hiding behind a medical license. Today, we have focused our efforts on those pharmacies who are churning out pills that are fraudulently prescribed at area pain clinics. We will continue to tackle South Florida’s pill mill epidemic from all angles and at all levels to eradicate these drug dealing organizations.”

“Today’s multi-agency operation makes clear that drug trafficking and health care fraud make for a vile combination that simply cannot be tolerated,” said Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge for the HHS-OIG region based in Miami. “Schemes to steal from taxpayers to pay for highly addictive, highly profitable street drugs , as the government alleges in this case, will trigger investigation and prosecution.”

“The Internal Revenue Service will continue to provide its financial investigative expertise to further the prosecution of criminals, especially those involved in complex financial schemes,” said IRS Special Agent in Charge Jose Gonzalez.

“The trafficking of oxycodone and oxymorphone has seeped into our community and extends beyond the borders of Miami-Dade County. We stand committed to working with our state and federal partners in the ongoing effort to apprehend these drug dealers who are destroying lives with their criminal behavior,” said Miami-Dade Police Department Director James K. Loftus.

“Through operations like this one, prescription drug peddlers are getting the message that pill pushing is no longer tolerated in Florida,” Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said. “Federal and local enforcement efforts have turned the tide but we need to keep up the good work.”

“The Florida Department of Health has been diligently working with our law enforcement partners to identify unscrupulous practitioners who are inappropriately prescribing controlled substances,” stated Florida Surgeon General Dr. Frank Farmer. “When DOH learns that a practitioner is not following the law, we suspend that practitioner’s license. We will aggressively continue to fight the prescription drug problem in Florida.”

According to the indictment, from as early as November 2007 September 2011, defendants Gerardo Gomez, Juan De Dios Gomez, and Danay C. Manso operated and utilized pain clinics in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. These pain clinics housed physicians, including defendant Frank J. Ballesteros, M.D., who would fraudulently prescribe oxycodone and oxymorphone for co-conspirator beneficiaries of Medicare and other prescription drug insurance plans. The beneficiaries would then present the fraudulent prescriptions obtained from the Gomezes’ pain clinics at complicit pharmacies operated by defendants Aiman Izzedin Aryan and Emerson Carmona. Once the prescriptions were filled, Aryan and Carmona would bill Medicare, and other insurers, for the cost of the prescriptions, knowing that the drugs were medically unnecessary and were being re-sold by the beneficiaries.

Defendants Leroy Paige, Alyssa Lyn Paige, Cynthia Suzette Adderley, Victor D. Alexander, Aaron Lamar Allen, Henry Louis Conley, Jr., Hattie Mae Green, Petronella Smith Howard, Eric Fyke Miller, and Annie Mims Simmons facilitated the drug-trafficking and health care fraud conspiracies by recruiting the corrupt health insurance beneficiaries to visit the Gomezes’ pain clinics and Dr. Ballesteros. Often, these recruiter defendants further participated by transporting the beneficiaries to the pain clinics to obtain the prescriptions and then to the pharmacies where they were filled. At the pharmacies, these defendants would receive and take control of the drugs from the beneficiaries. Once these defendants had the drugs, they would distribute them to Gerardo Gomez, Juan De Dios Gomez, Danilo Falcon, and Eliezer Salgado.

Defendants Bobbie Lee Anderson, Denise Darcelle Dardy, Margaret Marie Elliott, Billy Joe McCoy, and Ronald Regains were beneficiaries who posed as patients to obtain the fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone and oxymorphone, which they then sold.

The indictment contains a forfeiture allegation seeking approximately $40,000,000, which is listed as the amount of proceeds derived by the defendants from the drug trafficking offenses charged in Counts 1 to 8 of the indictment.

If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on Counts 1 to 8, and a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on Count 9.

An indictment is only an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Download Press Release
###
US Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration

Drug Enforcement Administration

Deanne L. Reuter Special Agent in Charge - Miami
@deamiamidiv
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Email

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Locator

  • Who We Are
    • About
    • Domestic Divisions
    • Foreign Offices
    • Contact Us
    • DEA Museum
  • What We Do
    • Forensic Sciences
    • Law Enforcement
    • Drug Prevention
    • Diversion Control Division
    • News
  • Careers
    • Special Agent
    • Diversion Investigator
    • Forensic Sciences
    • Intelligence Research Specialist
    • How to Apply
  • Resources
    • Drug Information
    • Employee Assistance Program
    • FOIA
    • Publications
    • Media Galleries
    • VWAP
  • Doing Business
    with the DEA
    • Overview
    • Current Vendors
    • Prospective Vendors
    • Security Clauses
    • Security Forms
    • Small Business Program
    • Vendor Engagement Request
  • Policies
    • Accessibility & Policy
    • Legal Policies & Disclaimers
    • No FEAR Act
    • Privacy Policy
    • U.S. Department of Justice EEO Policy
    • USA.gov
    • Whistleblower Protection
    • Your Rights as a Federal Employee

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DEA.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice
Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram

DEA Contact Center

(202) 307-1000 info@dea.gov
Contact the Webmaster

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Back
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Careers
  • Resources
Back
  • About
  • Mission
  • History
  • Divisions
  • DEA Museum
  • Wall of Honor
  • Contact Us
Back
  • Domestic Divisions
  • Foreign Divisions
  • Operational Divisions
Back
  • Submit a Tip
  • Extortion Scam
  • Public Affairs
  • Social Media Directory
Back
  • Forensic Sciences
  • Law Enforcement
  • Education and Prevention
  • Drug Information
  • News
  • Campaigns
Back
  • GUARDS
  • Forensic Sciences Policy
  • Forensic Science Organizations
  • Forensic Science Contact
Back
  • DEA Office of Training
  • El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)
  • Intelligence
  • Operations
Back
  • Office of Training Programs
Back
  • Administrative Law Judges
  • DEA Asset Forfeiture
  • Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program
  • HIDTA
  • OCDETF
Back
  • Family Summit
  • Red Ribbon
  • Kiki and the History of Red Ribbon Week
  • Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community
  • DEA’s Family Summit
  • Operation Engage
  • Community Outreach
  • Just Think Twice
  • Campus Drug Prevention
  • Get Smart About Drugs
  • Operation Prevention
Back
  • Drug Policy
  • Drug Scheduling
  • The Controlled Substances Act
Back
  • Alerts
  • Press Releases
  • Most Wanted Fugitives
  • Stories
  • Events
  • Speeches
  • Testimony
Back
  • All Fugitives
Back
  • One Pill Can Kill
  • DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Back
  • Senior Citizens
  • Partner Toolbox
  • Social Media Campaign
Back
  • Special Agent
  • Diversion Investigator
  • Intelligence Research Specialist
  • Forensic Sciences Careers
  • Professional & Administrative Careers
  • Student & Entry Level Careers
  • Employment Eligibility
  • How to Apply
Back
  • Special Agent FAQs
Back
  • Diversion Investigator Job Announcement
Back
  • Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements
  • Intelligence Research Specialists FAQs
  • Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist
Back
  • How To Claim Veterans' Preference
  • Priority Consideration
  • Benefits
  • Veterans and People With Disabilities
  • Operation Warfighter
Back
  • Illegal Online Pharmacies
  • OD Justice
  • Fentanyl Supply Chain
  • Pill Press Resources
  • Recovery Resources
  • Together for Families
  • Data and Statistics
  • FOIA
  • Publications
  • Media Galleries
  • Victim Witness Assistance Program
Back
  • Domestic Arrests
  • Staffing and Budget
Back
  • About FOIA
  • Contact DEA FOIA
  • Make a Request
  • What Happens After Making a Request
  • Requester Categories
  • Fees Charged
  • Fee Waiver
  • FOIA FAQ
  • FOIA Logs and Reports
  • FOIA Library
  • Additional FOIA Links
  • FOIA Exemptions
  • What Are Exclusions?
  • Privacy Act
  • Privacy Act Exemptions
  • Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems
Back
  • Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources
  • Human Trafficking Prevention
  • Submit A Tip +
  • Get Updates
  • Scam Alert
    • English
    • Español