Big Pharma Exec Perp Walked In Handcuffs After Surrendering On Opioid Trafficking Charges

[WhiteTara]

Source: Zerohedge

75-year-old Laurence Doud III became the first pharma CEO in the United States to face prosecution linked to the opioid crisis, after he was accused along with another company executive of ignoring red flags while pushing massive hauls of powerful painkillers to pharmacies across the United States, reports ABC News. Doud faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

CEO CHARGED: Federal prosecutors charged Rochester Drug Cooperative, one of the nation's largest opioid distributors, and two of its former executives Tuesday, with the company's former chief executive Laurence Doud III being taken into DEA custody. https://t.co/YiCUoIQCit pic.twitter.com/i12pP0NQwj
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) April 23, 2019

"This prosecution is the first of its kind: executives of a pharmaceutical distributor and the distributor itself have been charged with drug trafficking, trafficking the same drugs that are fueling the opioid epidemic that is ravaging this country. Our Office will do everything in its power to combat this epidemic, from street-level dealers to the executives who illegally distribute drugs from their boardrooms," said US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York charged Rochester Drug Cooperative (RDC), one of the country's largest distributors of opioids, with "knowingly and intentionally" violating federal narcotics laws "by distributing dangerous, highly addictive opioids to pharmacy customers that it knew were being sold and used illicitly," according to a press release.

RDC was also charged with failing to properly report thousands of suspicious orders of oxycodone, fentanyl and other controlled substances to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), officials said -ABC News

Doud reportedly encouraged his sales team to sign new pharmacies up as customers with virtually no oversight or background investigations - picking up competitors' rejects as he pitched RDC as "the knight in shining armor" for independent pharmacies, according to the indictment.

Read more: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-24/big-pharma-exec-perp-walked-handcuffs-after-surrendering-opioid-trafficking-charges

[TygrBright]

1. The first of many, we can hope. n/t

[dlk]

2. Let the Televised Perp Walks Begin!

[Judi Lynn]

11. Here's a photo of that nice Mr. Doud III:

Poor, poor thing.

[MFGsunny]

3. a good start ... onward! n/t

[JudyM]

4. Fantastic news. Corporate execs have been slapped on the wrist for far too long. Gotta love SDNY.

[BigmanPigman]

5. Are they going to put all the Pharma guys in the same cell block?

If I were the judge I would put that guy next to Big Pharm Dude Shkreli.

[pnwmom]

6. Zero Hedge is an alt-right, conspiracy site. Please don't post from it here.

Here's a better source for some of the info in that article.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/zero-hedge/

Editorial content is written under the pseudonym Tyler Durden and usually focuses on conspiracies related to economic collapse. Zero Hedge sources to factually mixed think tanks such as the The Mises Institute, which promotes Austrian (Anarcho-Capitalism) economics.

A factual search reveals a terrible track record with IFCN fact checkers. There are too many failed checks to list here.

Overall, we rate Zero Hedge an extreme right biased conspiracy website. (8/18/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 7/17/2018)

https://chippewa.com/news/national/feds-ex-ceo-is-first-drug-exec-indicted-in-opioid/article_0a3ac114-2610-5ddf-8aa4-42ecd095151e.html

This is from an Associated Press report:

Doud, 75, surrendered to authorities in New York City and is awaiting arraignment on two counts of conspiracy related to drug trafficking. His lawyer said he would fight the charges. Doud, who retired in 2017, alleged in a lawsuit last year that Rochester Drug Co-Operative tried using him as a scapegoat for its legal and regulatory troubles.

If convicted, Doud faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.

Rochester Drug Co-Operative and another former executive were also charged. The company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, and former compliance chief William Pietruszewski reached a cooperation agreement.

"This prosecution is the first of its kind: Executives of a pharmaceutical distributor and the distributor itself have been charged with drug trafficking — trafficking the same drugs that are fueling the opioid epidemic that is ravaging this country," Berman said at a news conference announcing the charges.

[47of74]

9. Yeah I've heard of these fornicates before

What they write would better serve the planet as toilet paper.

[not fooled]

7. Well, that's a start

When they start busting members of the Sackler family, I'll be impressed.

If any of the original Sacklers responsible for pushing legal heroin are still alive. Presumably so, or their corporate higher-ups who participated in the drug spree.

[NotHardly]

8. Theater... is a nice thing... now, arrest the other MFRs.. you know who they are

[Moostache]

10. not enough...

I want FULL ASSET SEIZURE - BANKRUPT these bastards....treat them the way bad cops treat minorities and let them feel the sting of 'justice' for real, not the country club version they always get.

[ck4829]

12. K&R

[nitpicker]

13. Link to the official DoJ PR

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-and-dea-announce-charges-against-rochester-drug-co-operative-and

[blugbox]

14. Didn't tRump say

He wanted to put the drug dealers to death? Let's see how he feels knowing it's some of his "finest" people