Ring Leader Of Fraudulent Oxycodone Prescription Scheme Sentenced To 14 Years In Federal Prison
HARTFORD, Conn. - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New England Division and Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that David Thompson, also known as “Super Dave,” 43, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 168 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his leadership role in a scheme to distribute oxycodone that was obtained through fraudulent prescriptions.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2012, members of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization that manufactured fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone and distributed the drug in the greater New Haven area. The investigation revealed that Thompson headed the organization that obtained the personal identifying information of medical practitioners and used the information to create fraudulent prescriptions. Organization members also purchased legitimate prescriptions for oxycodone from individuals. The organization then used individuals, or “runners,” to fill the fraudulent prescriptions at pharmacies throughout Connecticut. Once a runner provided his or her personal information to a member of the organization, the runner’s information was kept on file and used to create other fraudulent prescriptions.
Julian Cintron and Alejandrino DeJesus, also of New Haven, were key associates of Thompson who helped to recruit and transport runners to fill fraudulent prescriptions.
The investigation revealed that, between February 2013 and September 2015, the organization stole the personal identifying information of more than 50 doctors and medical professionals and fraudulently obtained more than 80,000 oxycodone pills. Investigators identified more than 800 fraudulent prescriptions passed by members of the organization using more than 270 different “patient” names.
Nearly all of the runners employed by the conspiracy held state-sponsored medical insurance, so the costs of the prescriptions were billed to Medicaid. Members of the drug trafficking organization then sold the oxycodone for $20 to $30 per 30 milligram pill.
Eleven individuals were charged as a result of the investigation.
Thompson has been detained since his arrest on September 10, 2015. On that date, agents searched his residence and seized approximately 12 fraudulent prescriptions and a drug ledger containing the names of “patients” and medicine codes.
On October 13, 2016, Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone.
DeJesus and Cintron also pleaded guilty. On November 7, 2016, DeJesus was sentenced to 132 month of imprisonment and, on April 3, 2017, Cintron was sentenced to 108 months of imprisonment.
The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad includes members from the Bristol, Greenwich, Hamden, Milford, New Haven, Shelton, Vernon and Wilton Police Departments.