A former pharmacy procurement technician has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for stealing prescription HIV medications from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in East Orange, New Jersey.
Lisa M. Hoffman, 50, of Orange, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to Count 2 of an indictment charging her with theft of government property in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Hoffman used her authority to order medication for the outpatient pharmacy, including ordering large quantities of HIV medication. She admitted to stealing HIV prescription medications from the VAMC pharmacy and selling it to her conspirator, Wagner Checonolasco, 35, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, in exchange for cash.
The loss amount was more than $8.2 million. Hoffman was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to pay restitution of $8.29 million and forfeiture of $450,000.
Wagner Checonolasco previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal government property and was sentenced in February 2022 to 42 months in prison.
The FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Messenger in Newark, investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri, and the VA Police Service of New Jersey, under the direction of Chief Minelli Torres Sukola.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole F. Mastropieri of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.
Related Federal Cases
- Victoria Metz, Embezzlement and Identity Theft, Albany GA, 2013 · Georgia
- Bridgette Williams, Identity Theft and Conspiracy, Macon GA, 2014 · Georgia
- Robin W. Simon, Unlawful Importation of Prescription Drugs, Pittsbu… · Pennsylvania
- Tadas Petrauskas, ID Theft, Pittsburgh PA, 2023 · Idaho
- Lissette Delarosa, Watch Theft Scheme, Woodland Park NJ, 2023 · New York
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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