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Francis and Jessica Martinis, of Fort Salonga, were arraigned on multiple charges in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Dec. 14.
Mr. Martinis is a Northport-based urologist and works with several hospitals, including Mount Sinai Hospital and Huntington Hospital at Northwell Health.
According to prosecutors, the couple landed in the sights of investigators in January 2023 when Jessica Martinis allegedly tried to fill a hand-written prescription for oxycodone issued by her husband at a pharmacy in Kings Park.
Pharmacy staff were immediately suspicious as doctors typically send prescriptions electronically. Martinis was also not the patient listed on the prescription, prosecutors said.
The pharmacist ultimately refused to fill the prescription and contacted the Suffolk County Police Department.
That call sparked a joint investigation by local police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Long Island District Office.
Investigators determined that Francis Martinis had a history of electronically transmitting prescriptions for oxycodone to pharmacies around Suffolk County.
The purported patients named on the prescriptions were former cast members of the Bravo series “Below Deck,” which the couple had previously appeared on, prosecutors said.
None of the cast members whose names were allegedly used live on Long Island.
Once the prescriptions were ordered by her husband and filled, Jessica Martinis reportedly picked them up and paid cash.
Investigators determined that the prescriptions were never intended for or received by the purported patients whose names were used, prosecutors said.
“Doctors are supposed to be trusted members of the community and with that trust comes a tremendous amount of personal and professional responsibility,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“Physicians are held to a high standard, as they take an oath to uphold a number of professional ethical standards when they begin their careers.
"The conduct Dr. Martinis allegedly engaged in with his wife not only violated this oath, but it also violated the law.”
In court Thursday, the husband and wife were arraigned on four counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner and four counts of falsifying business records, all felonies.
A judge released them on supervision while their case proceeds.
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