OCT 22 (TRENTON, N.J.) – Robert G. Koval, Acting
Special Agent in Charge of the New Jersey Division of the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Paul J. Fishman, the United States
Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced a doctor who
allegedly wrote illegal prescriptions for oxycodone, today admitted to
participating in a conspiracy to distribute the medication illegally.
Jacqueline Lopresti, 52, of Fair Haven, N.J., pleaded
guilty before Judge Freda L. Wolfson to an Information charging her with
one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and 11 counts of
distribution of oxycodone.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Oxycodone is the active ingredient in brand name pills
such as Oxycontin, Roxicodone and Percocet. It is a Schedule II
controlled substance – meaning that it has a high potential for abuse.
It has a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. Abuse
of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
In 2009, Lopresti issued prescriptions to
co-conspirators for drugs containing oxycodone, outside the usual course
of medical practice and not for any legitimate medical purpose. The
prescriptions were filled at various pharmacies located in and around
Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic counties, N.J., and redistributed by
others.
The charge to which the defendant pleaded guilty is
punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1
million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2013. U.S. Attorney
Fishman credited the N.J. DEA Tactical Diversion Squad, composed of DEA
special agents, diversion investigators and intelligence analysts; FBI
and IRS special agents; and local law enforcement officers from the
Essex County Sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics, Newark Police Department,
Elizabeth Police Department, Clinton Township Police Department, and
Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko of the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Trenton.
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