William Richardson, a convicted felon from Pittsburgh, stood at the center of a sprawling opioid trafficking and health care fraud ring that turned taxpayer-funded prescriptions into street cash. Federal indictments unsealed today reveal Richardson allegedly conspired to defraud UPMC Health Plan, Envision Rx Plus, and Gateway Health by obtaining prescription painkillers under false pretenses and selling them for profit. Between March 2016 and May 2016, he allegedly orchestrated a scheme to harvest pills prescribed to others—using their insurance—then flood the streets with oxycodone and oxymorphone.
On August 15, 2014, agents say Richardson wasn’t just dealing drugs—he was armed to the teeth. Found in possession of six firearms during a drug trafficking operation, five of those weapons were illegally held by Richardson, a man with 11 prior felony convictions. Federal law bars felons from owning guns. Yet there he was—allegedly running a mobile pharmacy of prescription opioids while stockpiling weapons to protect his illicit trade. The indictment ties him to multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and oxymorphone on that same day.
Richardson wasn’t alone. Six others were named in an 11-count superseding indictment, including Mark Coleman, 37; Jeremiah Davidson, 60; Kavon Dawkins, 23, of Clinton Twp., Michigan; Tevina Harris, 22; and Nicole Miller, 29, all of Pittsburgh. Prosecutors allege the group conspired from August 2014 to June 2016 to funnel government-paid prescriptions into Pittsburgh’s underground economy. Harris faces charges for possession with intent to distribute oxymorphone on August 6 and 14, 2014, and oxycodone on August 12—clear signs of a well-oiled, repeat operation.
Davidson is accused of a specific betrayal: defrauding UPMC Health Plan by selling meds he obtained for himself. Angela Vernon, 65, faces a five-count indictment for the same scheme—defrauding UPMC and dealing oxycodone. Antoinette Adair, 48, allegedly did the same with Envision Insurance Company. James Roberson, 61, and Jacqueline Bauer, 33, of Gibsonia, also stand accused of pill fraud and distribution. Mildred Rainey, 60, Marion Randolph, 62, and Teresa Bernardi, 54, are each charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute—proving the scheme’s reach across neighborhoods and insurance providers.
Donna Swigart, 53, of Ford City, Pa., rounds out the 18 defendants with a two-count indictment for defrauding Gateway Health and trafficking oxycodone. These weren’t isolated incidents—they were systemic thefts from public health programs designed to help the sick, twisted into a profit pipeline for addicts and dealers alike. Each prescription sold meant more pills circulating in a city already drowning in overdoses.
Acting U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song announced the charges Tuesday, emphasizing the DOJ’s crackdown on dual fraud and drug networks. ‘These defendants exploited the health care system to fuel an illegal drug market,’ Song said. ‘We’re not just chasing street dealers—we’re dismantling the supply chains.’ With 13 indictments now active, the case marks one of Pittsburgh’s largest federal actions targeting prescription pill diversion. Court dates are pending. If convicted, many face decades behind bars—and a reckoning long overdue.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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