A federal jury in Brooklyn has found pharmacists Yousef Ennab and Mohamed Hassan guilty on charges related to the illegal distribution of oxycodone. The verdict came after a three-week trial overseen by United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly. Both defendants could face up to 60 years in prison when sentenced.
The case was announced by John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alongside several law enforcement officials including Frank A. Tarentino III from the DEA, Naomi Gruchacz from HHS-OIG, Harry T. Chavis Jr. from IRS-CI, Jessica S. Tisch from NYPD, Jocelyn E. Strauber from DOI, and Dr. James V. McDonald from the New York State Department of Health.
“The defendants abused their access to oxycodone and violated the trust placed in them as pharmacists by illegally agreeing to supply drug dealers with tens of thousands of pills to sell on the streets of our district with zero regard for the immense harm this dangerously addictive narcotic has caused,” stated United States Attorney Durham.
Special Agent in Charge Tarentino added that “today’s verdict against Yousef Ennab and Mohamed Hassan sends a strong message to anyone in the medical profession willing to betray their patients’ trust.”
The case involved a scheme where illegal prescriptions were used to obtain oxycodone for street distribution across New York City. Hassan owned multiple pharmacies while Ennab was a supervising pharmacist at one location in Staten Island.
“These two men used their positions as pharmacists to scheme and cheat the system,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Chavis.
NYPD Commissioner Tisch highlighted that over 1.2 million pills were exchanged with a street value of approximately $24 million, stating that “the guilty verdicts send a clear message that wherever you illegally distribute drugs, your operation will be shut down and you will go to jail.”
The trial revealed that Hassan and Ennab filled prescriptions issued without legitimate medical examinations and conspired with drug dealers for distribution. Video evidence showed Ennab accepting cash payments for prescriptions intended for sham patients.
Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty, including Dr. Somsri Ratanaprasatporn and her receptionist Leticia Smith, who are awaiting sentencing alongside others involved in the scheme.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.