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Opioid Crisis

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Westchester Physician, NY Pharmacist Illegally Prescribed, Dispensed Opioids: Feds Westchester Physician, NY Pharmacist Illegally Prescribed, Dispensed Opioids: Feds
Westchester Physician, NY Pharmacist Illegally Prescribed, Dispensed Opioids: Feds A Westchester County physician and a pharmacy owner from Long Island both face federal charges in connection with their alleged illegal distribution of highly addictive opioids, officials announced.  Nassau County resident Feroze Nazirbage of Bellerose, age 50, and Larchmont resident Mordechai Bar, age 71, were both arrested on Wednesday, June 5 and charged with illegally diverting oxycodone and other controlled substances, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, Nazirbage, who is associated wit…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Toddler's Fentanyl Death Leads To Manslaughter Charges For Long Island Couple Toddler's Fentanyl Death Leads To Manslaughter Charges For Long Island Couple
Toddler's Fentanyl Death Leads To Manslaughter Charges For Long Island Couple Prosecutors have filed upgraded charges of manslaughter against a Long Island couple whose toddler son died from a fentanyl overdose. Wilkens Adonis and Daryllee Leibrock, both age 38, of Holbrook, were arraigned on the new manslaughter charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, April 1. The couple is already facing dozens of drug and weapons charges in connection with the death of 14-month-old Joseph Adonis. Earlier Report: Toddler Dies From Fentanyl, Cocaine Poisoning; Holbrook Couple Hit With Dozens Of Charges According to the Suffolk County DA’s office, emergency crews were ca…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Rite Aid Plans To Close 400-Plus Stores, Report Says Rite Aid Plans To Close 400-Plus Stores, Report Says
Rite Aid Plans To Close 400-Plus Stores, Report Says Rite Aid will close 400 to 500 stores as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, according to a new report. The drugstore chain is now negotiating with creditors to formulate a bankruptcy plan that would include liquidating a substantial portion of its more than 2,100 drugstores, The Wall Street Journal says. Rite Aid is facing over $3 billion in debt and more than a thousand federal lawsuits alleging it oversupplied opioids, the report said. Founded 61 years ago in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Rite Aid moved its headquarters to Philadelphia in 2022. Click here to read the complet…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Illegal Oxy Scripts: Long Island Doctor Sentenced To Time Behind Bars Illegal Oxy Scripts: Long Island Doctor Sentenced To Time Behind Bars
Illegal Oxy Scripts: Long Island Doctor Sentenced To Time Behind Bars A Long Island doctor who at one time was a leading prescriber of oxycodone in New York State was sentenced to spend three years behind bars for distributing the drug to patients who did not need it. On Thursday, May 25, the US District Attorney’s Eastern District of New York announced that Dr. Frank Parasmo, a former doctor from Deer Park, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release, for unlawfully distributing prescriptions for oxycodone. Between January 2014 and February 2015, Parasmo, aged 76, provided oxycodone and hydrocodone prescriptions to 18 patien…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
'Put Lives At Risk': Long Island Dentist, Town Worker Charged In Opioid Prescription Scheme 'Put Lives At Risk': Long Island Dentist, Town Worker Charged In Opioid Prescription Scheme
'Put Lives At Risk': Long Island Dentist, Town Worker Charged In Opioid Prescription Scheme A Long Island dentist is among two people facing charges for allegedly selling opioid prescriptions to people without a medical need. Farmingdale resident Jason DiBlasi, age 49, who owns a dental office in Massapequa, was arraigned on 113 counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner or pharmacist in Nassau County Court Friday, Nov. 18. Prosecutors said police began looking into DiBlasi’s prescribing habits while investigating a fatal overdose. Between May and September 2021, members of the Nassau County DA’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administ…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Purdue Pharma Reaches $6B Settlement With US States Over Thousands Of Opioid-Related Lawsuits Purdue Pharma Reaches $6B Settlement With US States Over Thousands Of Opioid-Related Lawsuits
Purdue Pharma Reaches $6B Settlement With US States Over Thousands Of Opioid-Related Lawsuits OxyContin creators Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family have reached a $6 billion settlement over their roles in the ongoing opioid crisis plaguing the country. The announcement comes following an earlier deal made with Purdue, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, that was ultimately appealed by eight states and the District of Columbia until the Sacklers kicked in more cash to get the deal done. Earlier story - NY, Other States Reach $4.5B Settlement With Purdue Pharma Over Its Role In Opioid Epidemic The $6 billion will be paid out over the course of 18 years, with larger payments fro…

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by Zak Failla
News
NY Jury Finds Pharmaceutical Company Liable In Opioids Case NY Jury Finds Pharmaceutical Company Liable In Opioids Case
NY Jury Finds Pharmaceutical Company Liable In Opioids Case Teva Pharmaceuticals, the last remaining defendant in a New York trial against opioid defendants, has been found liable for creating a public nuisance through its manufacture, sale, and distribution of opioids. The verdict from a Long Island Supreme Court jury came Thursday, Dec. 30, after six months of testimony in a trial brought by the State Attorney's General Office, along with Nassau and Suffolk counties. “This is a significant day for New York state. This is a significant day for this nation. But, more importantly, this is a significant day for every family and community torn apart by…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Long Island Man Arrested For Allegedly Using Doctor's Pad To Obtain Opioids, DA Says Long Island Man Arrested For Allegedly Using Doctor's Pad To Obtain Opioids, DA Says
Long Island Man Arrested For Allegedly Using Doctor's Pad To Obtain Opioids, DA Says A Long Island man is facing charges for allegedly using a former doctor’s prescription pad to obtain more than 13,000 opioid pills, the District Attorney’s Office announced. Valley Stream resident James Cosentino, 27, was arrested and arraigned on Friday, Nov. 13 on charges alleging that he illegally used the prescription pad to obtain thousands of oxycodone and morphine pills over a nine-month stretch. Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said that Cosentino allegedly acquired a prescription pad from a former doctor. From December last year through September, Cosentino alleged…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Stamford-Based Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Role Stamford-Based Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Role
Stamford-Based Purdue Pharma Admits To Crimes, Facing Billions In Fines For Opioid Crisis Role Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to pay billions of dollars in fines and will plead guilty to federal criminal charges for its role in the nation’s opioid crisis. The Fairfield County-based Connecticut company agreed to plead guilty in federal court in New Jersey to a three-count indictment that includes one count of dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. As part of the agreement, Purdue Pharma, whose headquarters is in Stamford, will…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Nabbed With Crack During Investigation Into Long Island Overdose Man Nabbed With Crack During Investigation Into Long Island Overdose
Man Nabbed With Crack During Investigation Into Long Island Overdose Narcotics agents investigating a fatal Long Island overdose nabbed a 29-year-old man in connection with the case. Nassau County Police conducting investigations as part of "Operation Natalie," the name of the county's war on opioids, arrested James Belton, of Brooklyn, in Rosedale on Sunday, May 24. According to detectives, the team was investigating a fatal overdose in Valley Stream, which led to an undisclosed location in Rosedale and the arrest of Belton, said the Nassau County Police. During his arrest, Belton was found to allegedly be in possession of 14 bags of cr…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Four Who Operated Queens Medical Clinic Convicted For Illegally Distributing Oxycodone Four Who Operated Queens Medical Clinic Convicted For Illegally Distributing Oxycodone
Four Who Operated Queens Medical Clinic Convicted For Illegally Distributing Oxycodone Four people who operated a pill mill in Queens that sold millions of oxycodone pills to customers who came out from all five boroughs. John Gargan, 63, of Manhattan, and Loren Piquant, 38, of the Bronx, were convicted after a two-week trial of narcotics distribution conspiracy. Two others, Queens residents Dante Cubangbang, 51, and Michael Kellerman, previously pleaded guilty to narcotics, health care fraud, and money laundering charges in connection with their participation in the oxycodone distribution scheme at that same clinic.  Between 2018, Cubangbang, a doctor, and Gargan…

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by Zak Failla
News
LI Woman Among Two Physicians Arrested For Alleged Role In Opioid Mill Fraud Scheme LI Woman Among Two Physicians Arrested For Alleged Role In Opioid Mill Fraud Scheme
LI Woman Among Two Physicians Arrested For Alleged Role In Opioid Mill Fraud Scheme A pair of physicians, including a woman who lives on Long Island, are facing charges for allegedly conspiring to operate a pill mill and fraudulently billing Medicaid. Rockville Centre resident Clarise Clemons and Rego Park resident Ilya Smuglin and have been arrested and charged with criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance, health care fraud and conspiracy, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced, following an investigation. It is alleged that Clemons, 63, Smuglin, 50, and other staff at the Miromedical P.C. and Ferrara Medical Care P.C. clinics created, enabl…

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by Zak Failla