HARRISBURG – Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that agents from the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation along with local police are in the process of arresting 20 suspects allegedly connected to a large-scale prescription forgery and drug trafficking ring operating in Philadelphia, suburban counties and New Jersey.
Corbett said the cooperative grand jury investigation with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, known as “Operation Fishtown Refill,” focused on a well-orchestrated effort to generate counterfeit doctors’ prescriptions for powerful pain medications such as OxyContin and Percotcet; the use of co-conspirators to fill the bogus prescriptions at pharmacies throughout southeastern Pennsylvania; and the resale of the pills on the street.
Corbett said the wide-reaching organization was allegedly run by Robert Carey, of Palmyra, New Jersey. Carey was arrested on April 13, 2010 on various drug charges, along with criminal attempt to commit first degree murder, and took his own life the following day while being held at the Bucks County Prison.
According to the grand jury, Carey and his drug organization became more prominent following the 2006 arrest of John Loftus, of Philadelphia, by the Attorney General’s Office during “Operation Fishtown Scripts.” At that time, Loftus and six colleagues were charged with operating a $1 million prescription forgery ring centered in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.
Corbett noted that it was believed Carey was supplying Loftus with counterfeit prescriptions, and that Carey was forced to take a more visible role in the operation following the 2006 arrests in Fishtown.
“The misuse and abuse of pain medication has a powerful grip on many communities across the state, which can generate massive profits for dealers who coordinate prescription fraud,” Corbett said. “Between 2008 and 2010 the Carey organization allegedly created nearly 1,400 fraudulent prescriptions and illegally obtained at least 140,000 pills – a supply of Percocet, OxyContin and other drugs worth almost $1 million on the street.”Corbett said the 20 people charged today all allegedly assisted Carey in filling fraudulent prescriptions, gathering the pills and distributing them across the region.
According to the grand jury, the organization used “runners,” who obtained fake prescriptions from Carey and then transported accomplices to pharmacies in Philadelphia and Bucks County on a weekly basis, where the fraudulent prescriptions were filled. The runners allegedly included Anthony Klancic, Richard Dzielinski and Jeff Knobbs, all of Philadelphia. The runners then allegedly used phone or text messages to arrange for the pills to be delivered back to Carey.
Corbett said that 11 other suspects are charged with helping the organization obtain drugs by filling bogus prescriptions at various pharmacies, including Phillip Bowdren, Karl Green, Ken Lewandowski, Gerald Marasco, Cecilia Pasquarello, John Sosnowski, Susan Winczuk and Charles McCandless, all of Philadelphia; along with Eugene Falcone, of Rio Grande, NJ; Keven Brannigan, address unknown; and Anthony Graziano, currently incarcerated in Chester, PA.
Additionally, Corbett said the organization included several dealers, who allegedly assisted Carey with the delivery and sale of prescription drugs, including James Bradley and Joseph Markley, both of Philadelphia, along with Morgan Casey, of North Wildwood, NJ.
Corbett noted that the fraudulent prescriptions allegedly generated by Carey used the names and DEA registration number of at least eight different real doctors, but substituted fake addresses and used telephone numbers that directed callers to members of Carey’s illegal network.
According to the grand jury, three Philadelphia women – Jennifer Kitz, Jamie Kusen and Lori Lyons – allegedly answered the telephone numbers that were included on the forged prescriptions, posing as employees of various doctors’ offices in order to “confirm” that the prescriptions were authentic.
The criminal charges recommended by the grand jury were filed today before Jamison, Bucks County, Magisterial District Judge Jean Seaman.
The defendants will be prosecuted in Bucks County by Senior Deputy Attorney General Iva Dougherty of the Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section.
Corbett thanked Bucks County District Attorney David W. Heckler, along with Warminster Township Police Chief Michael Murphy and Warrington Township Police Chief James J. Miller for the extensive cooperation and assistance of their agencies in this joint investigation. Corbett also thanked the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Philadelphia Police Department, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the New Jersey State Police, South Drug Trafficking Unit, for their assistance.
Below is a list of the defendants and the charges filed against them:
Anthony Klancic, 22, 868 Mercer St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge and one count of identity theft.
Richard Dzielinski, 31, 150 E. Wildey St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, three counts of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Jeffrey Knobbs, 30, 113 E. Richmond St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge and one count of identity theft.
James Bradley, 40, 859 Mercer St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Joseph Markley, 32, 1337 E. Eyre St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Morgan Casey, 23, 328 East 18th St., North Wildwood, NJ, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
Jennifer Kitz, 38, 1114 Crease St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal Use of a communication facility.
Jaime Kusen, 27, 2815 E. Thompson St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
Lori Lyons, 42, 856 Almond St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
Phillip Bowdren, 35, 2013 E. Memphis St., Philadelphia, is charged with one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of possession of a controlled substance, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of identity theft.
Kevin Brannigan, 47 yrs, address unknown, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organizations, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Eugene Falcone, 33, 114 Teal Road, Rio Grande, NJ, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Anthony Graziano, 49, currently incarcerated at SCI Chester, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge and one count of identity theft.
Karl Green, 43, 6807 Bradford St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Kenneth Lewandowski, 48, 3548 Edgemont St., Philadelphia, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of insurance fraud, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance, identity theft.
Gerald Marasco, 43, 604 E. Flora St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Charles McCandless, 54, 2305 E. Cabot St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Cecilia Pasquarello, 36, 859 Mercer St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
John Sosnoski, 55, 2533 Memphis St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.
Susan Winczuk, 34, 859 Mercer St., Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of participating in a corrupt organization, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of acquisition or obtaining of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, one count of manufacture, possession with the intent to deliver or delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of identity theft.