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Cornerstone Pharmacy, Inc., which did business in New Haven as Whalley Drug, and its owner, Yong Kwon, entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal government to resolve allegations that they violated the Controlled Substances Act, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced on Monday, April 22.
According to federal officials, on June 22, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration served an Administrative Inspection Warrant on Whalley Drug and interviewed Kwon about patients who overdosed after filling prescriptions at the New Haven business. The DEA also asked Kwon about his practices in filling prescriptions for controlled substances prescribed by practitioners in the area.
Additionally, the DEA also audited Whalley Drug for its compliance with Controlled Substances Act recordkeeping requirements, allegedly revealing discrepancies for several of these substances.
According to officials, an investigation revealed that between September 2017 and June 2021, Kwon and Whalley Drug filled prescriptions for controlled substances issued without a legitimate medical purpose. These invalid prescriptions were often for controlled substances and were issued to people struggling with abuse and addiction, federal officials added.
In June 2021, Kwon agreed to surrender the DEA license for Whalley Drug, which no longer operates as a retail pharmacy, according to officials.
The business and Kwon also paid $120,000 as part of the civil settlement to resolve the allegations.
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