Robert Delagente, 45, of Oakland, New Jersey, is done playing doctor. The Bergen County physician, who allegedly called himself the ‘Candy Man’ and ‘El Chapo of Opioids,’ was arrested and charged with one count of distribution of controlled dangerous substances and one count of obstruction of justice, federal prosecutors announced today.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Newark, Delagente abused his medical license at North Jersey Family Medicine (NJFM) to flood patients with oxycodone, Percocet, Tylenol with codeine, and powerful benzodiazepines like alprazolam and diazepam — not to treat pain, but to feed addictions. He prescribed these drugs without medical visits, often based solely on text messages from patients demanding specific dosages and drugs, including the deadly ‘Holy Trinity’ cocktail of opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxers.
Delagente didn’t just ignore medical ethics — he mocked them. In one exchange, when an employee said a patient had driven hours to see him, Delagente replied: ‘Oh well … C’est la vie! Lol … He can wait for his oral heroin another day. Lol.’ Another patient admitted they ‘probably can’t stop the pk’s’ — painkillers — and feared withdrawal. Delagente’s response? A 120-tablet prescription for 30-milligram oxycodone. He even warned the patient: ‘I’m literally sticking my neck out and can lose my medical license or [be] arrested for what I just did.’
The scheme unraveled when federal subpoenas landed in April 2019 demanding patient records. Instead of cooperating, Delagente allegedly altered medical files to cover up his actions. No exams. No consultations. Just prescriptions left at the front desk like takeaway orders, handed out with zero oversight.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, leading the DOJ’s case through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey, said Delagente operated like a dealer in a lab coat. ‘He ignored the risk of overdose, addiction, and death,’ Carpenito stated. ‘This wasn’t medicine — it was mass distribution of dangerous drugs under the thin veil of a medical practice.’
Delagente is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven C. Mannion in Newark federal court this afternoon. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the distribution charge, and another 20 years plus a $250,000 fine for obstruction. The FBI, under Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie, led the investigation. The opioid epidemic has many villains — but few so brazen as the self-proclaimed ‘Candy Man.’
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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