Marcus Rushworth, Oxycodone Trafficking, New Jersey 2020

Gloucester City Man Pleads Guilty in Oxycodone Trafficking Case

Camden, NJ – In a brazen display of disregard for the law, 47-year-old Marcus Rushworth of Gloucester City has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills, as well as distributing a quantity of Xanax. This is the fifth time a defendant has pleaded guilty in connection with a massive drug trafficking ring operating in and around Gloucester City and Camden.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Rushworth admitted to working with Rocco DePoder to sell oxycodone and Xanax to customers in and around Gloucester City on multiple occasions between January 2020 and March 2020. He also obtained a quantity of Xanax from DePoder on February 17, 2020, to sell to a customer.

Rushworth was charged along with 17 others in March 2020 as part of an investigation by the FBI into the illegal distribution of prescription drugs, including high-dosage oxycodone pills, to customers in Gloucester City and Camden. This operation was a major crackdown on the city’s prescription pill trade.

The drug conspiracy charge carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison, while the distribution charge carries a potential penalty of five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 5, 2021.

Rushworth’s guilty plea brings the total number of defendants to have pleaded guilty in this case to five. The other defendants who have pleaded guilty include Kenneth Rushworth, Wayne Muse, Robert Pratt, and Steven Walker, all of whom were charged with drug trafficking offenses involving the distribution of prescription drugs.

The investigation that led to these charges was a collaborative effort between the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the Camden County Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General. The FBI Newark Division, New Jersey State Police, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also provided assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gabriel J. Vidoni of the Office’s Camden office and Sara F. Merin of the Newark office.

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