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Daniel E. Russo, age 44 of Cedarhurst, was sentenced to 60 months in prison on Wednesday, Nov. 29 for a handful of charges related to a scheme he ran at his Queens pharmacy for years, the US Attorney’s Eastern District of New York (EDNY) announced.
Russo, who was the owner and operator of Russo’s Pharmacy in Far Rockaway, Queens, conspired with medical professionals and employees alike to fill hundreds of fake oxycodone prescriptions under various patient names.
His co-conspirators would then pick up the illegal pills to distribute across the island.
From March 2011 through June 2014, is reported to have dispensed thousands of the pills – all in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.
Illegal oxycodone handed out by Russo can be traced to at least one overdose, though it was not fatal.
Then, between 2012 and 2016, Russo filed fake tax returns both for his business and personally.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, he failed to report a total of $1 million of his earnings. Most of this came from the oxycodone scheme.
“From pharmacist to pill pusher, Daniel Russo betrayed his years of medical training to pocket dirty money in return for illegally selling enormous amounts of oxycodone, which was invariably later sold on the streets,” said EDNY Attorney Breon Peace.
He pleaded guilty in February 2023 to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, distributing and possessing the drug, and nine counts of filing false tax returns.
Before his sentencing, he paid restitution to the tune of over $400,000. Once his sentence is up, he will face three years of post-release supervision.
More than a dozen doctors Russo filled prescriptions for have also been convicted of crimes related to the scheme.
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