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PHILADELPHIA, PA – In a shocking case of pharmaceutical corruption, Mitchell Spivack, 63, of Collegeville, PA, was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison for his role in a massive opioid distribution conspiracy in Northeast Philadelphia.
Spivack, the owner of Verree Pharmacy, a small neighborhood pharmacy located in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and healthcare fraud. He was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III and ordered to pay $451,328 in restitution and to forfeit $116,000.
According to the charging documents, Spivack and his coconspirators cultivated Verree’s reputation as a ‘no questions asked’ pharmacy for oxycodone and other addictive opioid drugs. By 2016, Verree was the largest purchaser of oxycodone among retail pharmacies in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The investigation found that Spivack and his employees filled prescriptions for wholesale quantities of high-dose oxycodone despite obvious alterations to the prescriptions and other red flags indicating that the drugs were not for a legitimate medical purpose. In addition, Spivack and other employees of Verree submitted entirely fraudulent claims to health care benefit programs for prescription drugs not dispensed.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero stated, ‘Pharmacies and pharmacists engage in the deepest violation of the community’s trust when they exploit their access to opioids and other controlled substances and illegally dispense the drugs for their own financial gain.’
The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, HHS-OIG, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney M. Beth Leahy and Special Assistant.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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