Physician Charged in Pill Mill Operation

A Staten Island physician was recently charged for his involvement in an oxycodone distribution conspiracy that yielded the diversion of millions of dollars’ worth of pain medication.

David Taylor was indicted on charges of writing medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone over a 5-year period. Co-conspirators Vito Gallicchio and Daniel Garcia were charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics.

The pill mill allegedly ran from January 2012 through at least June 2017. The defendants are accused of writing unnecessary prescriptions in exchange for goods, money, and services to divert oxycodone.

“It is alleged that millions of dollars’ worth of pain medication was diverted onto the streets of Staten Island, enabling addiction and overdoses on the borough. These arrests will impact Staten Island’s opioid market by shutting down an illicit pill distribution operation located at the heart of the borough, along Hylan Boulevard,” DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt said in a press release.

Taylor, Gallicchio, and Garcia are charged with 1 count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone. If found guilty, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.

Reference

Staten Island doctor and two others diverted millions dollars’ worth of pain pills [news release]. New York. DEA’s website. https://www.dea.gov/divisions/nyc/2017/nyc062217.shtml. Accessed June 26, 2017.