Prescription Drug Fraud Gone Wrong?
As the facts unfolded, the Maywood Police Department now believe that they have discovered a conspiracy to commit prescription fraud gone wrong. The Maywood police now believe that three young men from West Milford New Jersey and a fifty-six year old Carlstadt resident conspired together to obtain certain prescription drugs from a pharmacy in Maywood. The initial reports, from an eyewitness, indicate that three young men knocked an elderly man to the ground and began rummaging through his pockets looking for money. However, the detectives were able to discover that the three young men from West Milford actually gave the older gentleman some money so that he could purchase several prescription drugs from the pharmacy for them. But when the older gentleman exited the store without the prescription drugs and refused to return the money, that is when one of the defendant’s knocked him to the ground and began rummaging through his pockets for the money.
It appears that the three young men took off in their vehicle, however they were later stopped in Ringwood New Jersey, thanks in large part to an eyewitnesses statements. It was not until the three young men were being questioned that the real store came out. The defendant who actually struck the older man has been charged with robbery in the second degree and attempting to obtain prescription drugs by fraud. The other two young men were charged with conspiracy to commit robbery in the second degree and attempting to obtain prescription drugs by fraud. According to the reports, all three men are currently being held in the Bergen County Jail on a $75,000 bail. The older gentleman, who police originally thought was just an innocent victim of a robbery, has been charged with attempting to obtain prescription drugs by fraud and attempting to distribute prescription drugs. The older gentleman was released on his own recognizes and not taken to the Bergen County Jail.
Second degree robbery is a very serious charge in New Jersey. It is punishable by up to ten (10) years in a New Jersey State Prison. In addition, it is one of the enumerated offenses that falls under the No Earl Release Act (“NERA”). NERA requires a defendant convicted of any one of the enumerated offenses to serve at least 85% of his or her sentence before they can become eligible for parole. The Law Offices of Marshall, Bonus, Proetta & Oliveris an experience Bergen County Criminal Defense Firm. We have over 100 years of combined experience on staff, including over twenty-five years of prior prosecuting experience. If you or someone you know has been charged with a criminal offense like assault, homicide, cocaine distribution or marijuana possession, we can help. Please contact any one of our Bergen County Offices for a free initial consultation with any one of our eight criminal defense attorneys on staff.