Source: United States Department of Justice News
NEWARK, N.J. – A former office manager of a New Jersey medical practice admitted conspiring with the doctor who owned the practice to distribute prescription amphetamine to patients without a legitimate medical reason, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Noel DeLeon, 55, of North Arlington, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging him with one count of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to distribute dextroamphetamine-amphetamine (brand name Adderall), a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2018 to March 2021, DeLeon worked as an office manager for a New Jersey medical practice owned by a doctor. The doctor performed no meaningful evaluation of patients and the interactions between the doctor and patients generally took less than five minutes. The medical practice kept inadequate patient medical records. For some patients, the patient files only contained contact and prescription information, but did not detail any meaningful evaluation or assessment. For other patients, no patient files were kept.
After prescribing medications to a patient, including high dosage amphetamines, DeLeon or the doctor would typically collect a cash payment from the patient before providing the prescription. For prescription refills, patients would also contact DeLeon directly by sending text messages to his personal cellular phone. DeLeon would order the prescription refill at the patient’s pharmacy and collect payment from the patient, typically through an electronic payment application on DeLeon’s personal cellular phone. At times, certain patients provided cash bribes to DeLeon in order to receive their prescription refills faster.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute amphetamines carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 22, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited diversion investigators and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Acting SAC Daniel J. Kafafian, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Baker of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Tess Cohen Esq., New York