Alvin Watts III, HIV Medication Black-Market Scheme, Louisiana 2013

BATON ROUGE, LA — Alvin Watts III, 37, of Addis, Louisiana, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison after a two-day jury trial convicted him on multiple counts tied to stolen HIV medication. Watts, a co-owner and licensed pharmacist at Doc-Your-Dose Pharmacy in Grosse Tete, Louisiana, ran a black-market scheme that ripped off some of the most vulnerable patients in the nation’s capital — indigent HIV sufferers relying on government-provided drugs.

Watts orchestrated a criminal pipeline from Washington, D.C. to rural Louisiana, purchasing HIV pharmaceuticals stolen from the D.C. Department of Health Pharmacy Warehouse in 2013. Between June and September of that year, he dispatched two employees on multiple trips to D.C. to buy and transport the stolen meds back to his pharmacy. The jury heard evidence that Watts profited approximately $640,000.00 by dispensing the illicit drugs instead of legally sourced alternatives.

The scheme unraveled during a routine traffic stop near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Watts’ couriers were pulled over for speeding. Hidden in the trunk: a massive stash of the purloined HIV medication. That discovery triggered a federal investigation that exposed Watts’ central role and led to the indictment of four co-conspirators — all of whom have since pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

Judge Lance M. Africk didn’t mince words during sentencing, calling Watts’ actions “driven by greed” and “extremely depraved” for preying on life-saving drugs meant for impoverished patients. The court also noted Watts’ attempt to obstruct justice by pressuring and threatening a government witness to silence them — an act that only deepened the severity of his crimes.

“Medical professionals like the defendant cannot be allowed to profit by dispensing stolen medication intended for indigent patients,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon J. Fremin. “The actions of this defendant are a great disservice to the pharmacists and medical professionals in our community who ensure that patients’ well-being is their highest priority.”

Acting Special Agent in Charge H. Peter Kuehl of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations emphasized the public health danger: “When prescription drugs are diverted from the legal supply chain, there’s no assurance the products are safe or effective.” The case was investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with support from Tennessee law enforcement, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Smyczek and Paul Pugliese.

Related Federal Cases