Tampa, FL – A federal court has permanently prohibited Tampa-area pharmacist Nathaniel Esalomi from filling prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. Esalomi, the owner and sole pharmacist of Apexx Pharmacy in Hudson, Florida, was also hit with a $500,000 suspended civil penalty, with $10,000 of which he has agreed to pay.
According to the United States, Esalomi unlawfully distributed powerful opioids by filling prescriptions he knew were not valid at Apexx Pharmacy. The complaint alleges that Esalomi charged dramatically inflated prices to fill opioid prescriptions and accepted thousands of dollars in cash for the drugs. The complaint also alleges that Esalomi instructed individuals to forge signatures on certain forms and to falsify addresses.
“Medical professionals who knowingly facilitate the abuse of opioids violate their legal obligations,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice will pursue justice against anyone who seeks to profit from unlawfully distributing opioids.”
Esalomi agreed to a consent judgment to settle the allegations in the complaint. The order entered by the court permanently prohibits Esalomi from distributing opioids or other controlled substances, permanently prohibits him from managing, owning, or controlling any entity that dispenses controlled substances.
Apexx Pharmacy was dissolved following the United States’ August 2022 complaint and the federal court’s associated temporary restraining order, and remains dissolved under the terms of the consent order. Esalomi also pleaded no contest to charges brought by the State of Florida in a related criminal case.
The case was investigated by DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad in the Tampa District Office. The claims made in the complaint are allegations that the United States would need to prove by a preponderance of the evidence if the case proceeded to trial.
“Approximately 70 percent of all drug overdose deaths in America involve opioids,” said Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “This epidemic began in the mid-1990s, and it’s still something we’re fighting. We will remain steadfast in our effort to remove these poisons from our communities.”
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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