Cedric Moss, 48, of Jamaica, New York, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his leadership in a Long Island oxycodone distribution ring. Moss pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone on October 9, 2014.
The sentence was announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration.
Cedric Moss masterminded a criminal organization that for over a year forged prescriptions for a highly addictive and dangerous prescription drug, fueling an increasing addiction crisis on Long Island and elsewhere. Today’s sentence serves as a reminder to those who flood our streets with illegally obtained drugs that they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly T. Currie.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Hunt stated, “Cashing in on a national health crisis, Cedric Moss oversaw the diversion of millions of dollars’ worth of diverted pain medication throughout Long Island. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the will of law enforcement to continue to investigate and arrest those who illegally distribute opioids in our communities.”
As detailed in the defendant’s guilty plea allocution and court filings, between January 2013 and February 2014, Moss and his organization illegally obtained and sold more than 95,000 oxycodone 30 mg tablets, which were trafficked throughout Long Island, New York City, and the East Coast.
The organization illegally obtained stolen blank prescription pads to create forged prescriptions using computer software and printers. More than 190 “runners” then posed as patients and filled the prescriptions at various pharmacies. Previously, three members of Moss’s organization pleaded guilty to felony charges for their participation in this scheme.
Moss’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in this jurisdiction, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the New York City Police Department, and New York State Police, along with other key federal, state, and local government partners, launched the Prescription Drug Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention has called an epidemic increase in the abuse of so-called opioid analgesics.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Canty is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant: Cedric Moss, E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-147 (JS)
Related Federal Cases
- Angel Nunez, Oxycodone Trafficking Conspiracy, New York 2016 · Indiana
- Stanislav Petkevichus, Oxycodone Conspiracy, New York 2016 · Indiana
- Jeffrey C. Leathersich, Oxycodone Dispensing Outside Medical Practice, New York 2013 · Florida
- Nicholas M. Signore, Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy, New York 2017 · Indiana
- Michael Troyan, Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy, New York 2023 · Puerto Rico
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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