A former South Florida resident has pled guilty to his role in a $13 million money laundering conspiracy tied to the illegal distribution of more than 2 million oxycodone pills. Pasquale Gervasio admitted to helping fuel one of the region’s most brazen pill mill operations, turning pain clinics into profit machines with zero regard for patient safety or the law.
Gervasio pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering involving criminally derived property valued over $10,000, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(h) and 1957. He now faces up to ten years in federal prison. Sentencing is pending, with no date yet set.
Court documents reveal that between March 2010 and June 2011, Gervasio and his co-conspirators operated six pain clinics across Broward and Palm Beach counties. These clinics existed solely to dispense oxycodone 30 mg pills—2,007,695 in total—without legitimate medical purpose. The operation raked in $13,466,598 in illicit cash before federal and local agents shut them down with coordinated raids in June 2011.
Investigators found the clinics flouted all state standards for controlled substances. Doctors were paid to write prescriptions on assembly-line terms, flooding South Florida’s streets with highly addictive opioids. The goal wasn’t pain relief—it was profit. Gervasio helped launder the proceeds, cleaning dirty drug money through financial channels to conceal its criminal source.
The case was spearheaded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal initiative designed to dismantle high-level drug and money laundering enterprises. Agencies involved included IRS-Criminal Investigation, DEA, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, Boca Raton Police Department, and Coconut Creek Police Department. The South East Regional Task Force (SERTF) and Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Multi-Agency Diversion Task Force (PBSO MAADTF) provided critical support.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, praised the multi-agency takedown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald F. Chase, II is prosecuting the case. Court records are available through the Southern District of Florida’s public docket at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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