In a major crackdown, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) has announced the indictment of five individuals, charging them with 80 counts in connection to an extensive prescription drug theft scheme that reportedly spanned 11 counties in New Jersey.
The accused have been identified as Divinete Jeffries, 30, and Akeem Adelekan, 28, both from East Orange; Kevin Lucanto, 48, from Paterson; Otto Lachenauer, 43, from Westfield; and Satia Salters, 25, also from East Orange.
Their indictment resulted from a prolonged investigation spearheaded by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). This investigation was a joint effort involving various federal, state, and local agencies.
First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo outlined the nature of their alleged offenses. The group is believed to have conspired to unlawfully access doctors’ offices, where they stole prescription forms and forged physician signatures.
Their primary aim was to secure a specific cough syrup, which can be used to concoct a potent narcotic mix when abused.
Ruotolo stressed the implication of such fraudulent activities, emphasizing how they indirectly stoke the fires of the ongoing opioid crisis.
Interim Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Al Garcia provided further details on the operation, explaining that multiple medical offices in places like Wayne, Morristown, and Bridgewater had been the target of burglaries. These acts of deceit didn’t stop at burglaries. The indicted individuals are also accused of misleading pharmacists all over New Jersey, convincing them to fill out fraudulent prescriptions.
Based on the evidence and testimonies presented to the grand jury, Jeffries is believed to have played a central role in the scheme. In 2022 and 2023, Jeffries would reportedly break into medical facilities to steal prescription pads. These stolen pads would then be misused to forge prescriptions, which were distributed to different pharmacies across the state. In a bid to ensure the success of their scam, the indicted parties allegedly used both stolen identities and fake driver’s licenses. Their primary drug of choice was Promethazine with Codeine, a schedule V controlled dangerous substance (CDS). This particular cough syrup is popular among drug abusers because of its opioid content.