(ConservativeSense.com) – According to a press release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office on Friday, retail pharmacy chain CVS has agreed to pay $70,000 following accusations of violating the Controlled Substances Act.
The allegations state that a duo of CVS pharmacists, Jane Mastrogiovanni and Theodoros Bahtsevanos, filled a total of 41 counterfeit prescriptions for Adderall, Ritalin, and Xanax across multiple CVS locations in New Hampshire.
These actions led to the initiation of two criminal investigations by the New Hampshire U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the press release, during the subsequent criminal proceedings, Bahtsevanos admitted guilt to two charges of misusing a DEA registration number and one charge of possessing five or more counterfeit identification documents.
In April 2020, he received a three-year probation sentence.
As for Mastrogiovanni, the press release states that she pleaded guilty in July 2020 to ten counts of acquiring controlled substances through fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge.
In February 2021, she was also sentenced to three years of probation.
U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young emphasized the legal obligation of pharmacies to ensure the proper dispensing of controlled substances.
She stated that when pharmacies disregard warning signs indicating fraudulent prescriptions, they fail to seize a crucial opportunity to prevent prescription drug misuse or illegal diversion, including their entry into the black market.
Young expressed her commitment to employing the Controlled Substances Act and all available resources to safeguard the well-being of New Hampshire residents.
She also expressed gratitude to the DEA’s diversion investigators for their diligent efforts in conducting the investigation.
In accordance with the Controlled Substances Act, a prescription for a controlled substance must be found to be valid issued by a licensed practitioner for a genuine medical need within their regular practice.
The government’s investigation suggested that the pharmacists employed at CVS should have recognized that the prescriptions they received were illegitimate and should not have been dispensed.
The Drug Enforcement Administration spearheaded the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Raphael Katz overseeing the case.
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