James Wilson, Selling Prescriptions for Powerful Opioids, California 2018

LOS ANGELES - A Venice man was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison for his conviction on federal charges of illegally distributing prescription opioids. James Wilson, 56, was sentenced by United States District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. on June 12, 2018.

At the conclusion of a bench trial in March, Judge Hatter found Wilson guilty of two counts of illegally distributing oxycodone. The evidence presented at trial showed that Wilson, during two different transactions in early 2016, sold a total of four prescriptions to an undercover operative working with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Each of the four prescriptions were for 120 30-milligram oxycodone pills, which is the maximum strength of the opioid sold through pharmacies.

Wilson, who is neither a doctor nor a pharmacist, owned and operated what prosecutors called a “sham medical clinic.” The illegal prescription sales took place in the parking lot of Wilson’s clinic, where he charged $200 for each of the illegal prescriptions.

Wilson was arrested in this case in August 2017, at which time investigators found 160 blank prescriptions in his vehicle. The “scheme involved the diversion of oxycodone, a powerful and deadly opioid at the center of the nation’s opioid crisis,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

This case was investigated by the DEA and was conducted with the support of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Marina A. Torres and Brittney M. Harris of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.

James Wilson, a Venice man, was found guilty of two counts of illegally distributing oxycodone. He was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison and charged $200 for each of the four illegal prescriptions he sold. Investigators found 160 blank prescriptions in his vehicle when he was arrested in August 2017.

The case highlights the ongoing struggle against the opioid crisis in the United States. The diversion of powerful opioids such as oxycodone is a major concern for law enforcement agencies. James Wilson's sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of engaging in such illegal activities.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/operator-long-beach-medical-clinic-sentenced-more-3-years-federal-prison-selling