Wilkinsburg Woman Sentenced to 14 Years for Health Care Fraud and Illegal Distribution of Pain Medication
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 14 years' imprisonment and five years supervised release on her conviction of Health Care Fraud and the illegal distribution of prescription opioid pain medication, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence yesterday on Antoinette Adair, age 51. Adair was convicted of one count of Health Care Fraud, one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, and eight counts of Possession with the Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Oxycodone and Oxymorphone.
According to information presented to the court, Adair was part of a group of individuals involved in a large-scale Health Care Fraud and pill distribution network. As a part of the criminal enterprise, Adair and others obtained powerful and addictive prescription pain medication through physicians under the false pretense that they intended to use that medication themselves. In fact, they intended to sell the medication for profit to individuals addicted to those medications. Additionally, medication was often paid for through taxpayer-funded health care insurance programs. Thus, the taxpayers ended paying much of the prescription medications that these conspirators sold.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Adair.
Department of Justice
Office of the U.S. Attorney
Western District of Pennsylvania
Source: Justice.gov