Drug Dealer Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Opioid Pill Mill Scheme That Illegally Distributed More Than 1.2 Million Oxycodone Pills

Press Release

Defendant Conspired to Divert Oxycodone Worth Millions of Dollars and Laundered the Funds Through a Company Called "Michael's Cleaning Service"

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Michael Kent was sentenced by United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly to nine years in prison for his role in recruiting sham patients, paying off complicit pharmacists and illegally distributing oxycodone in a Brooklyn-based narcotics conspiracy. Kent pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone in September 2023. Kent also paid $635,875 in forfeiture in advance of his sentencing.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.

"The opioid epidemic has destroyed countless families and communities in our district, New York City and across the country," stated United States Attorney Peace. "The proliferation of pill mill clinics, like the medical office involved in this case, significantly contributes to the opioid crisis. Today's sentencing holds the defendant accountable for his role in callously diverting highly potent and addictive drugs from medical offices to the streets of New York."

Mr. Peace also thanked the New York City Department of Investigation, the New York City Police Department and the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, for their assistance on the case.

"Michael Kent knew the harmful effects of his pill mill scheme, and knowingly jeopardize the health and safety of those individuals he profited from, all while exacerbating the opioid crisis. Today's sentencing sends a clear message to those individuals putting profits over human lives and looking to capitalize from the illegal sale of addictive opioids" stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Tarentino. "The DEA remains committed to fighting this opioid crisis head on and those who exploit it."

"The defendant in this case was involved in a scheme to steer controlled substances to the street, which is especially egregious given the ongoing opioid epidemic," stated HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Gruchacz. "HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure individuals involved in fraud schemes that exploit federal health care programs and threaten patient safety are held accountable."

"Kent created an extravagant, multi-layered scheme in order to earn a simple title-drug dealer. He had no regard for the welfare of those buying the oxy as long as he lined his pockets, which were fat enough to buy three buildings in New York City. Unlucky for him, this elaborate scam was not too tricky for law enforcement to figure out, and he is now sentenced to time behind bars," stated IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Fattorusso.

As set forth in the indictment and publicly filed documents, between December 2018 and October 2022, Kent and his co-defendants operated a drug distribution ring out of a medical practice on Linden Boulevard in East New York, Brooklyn. Together, they unlawfully distributed more than 11,000 prescriptions for oxycodone, amounting to more than 1.2 million oxycodone pills, which carry a street value of at least $24 million. They made millions of dollars from the scheme. Nine defendants have been charged in this matter, including one doctor and four Brooklyn-based pharmacists. In addition to Kent, five co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Three co-defendants are scheduled for trial in January 2025.

As part of his role in the scheme, Kent recruited approximately 45 sham patients who were prescribed more than six kilograms of medically unnecessary oxycodone over a four-year period. Kent paid these individuals for the use of their names, picked up the oxycodone from pharmacists, whom he paid off, and sold the oxycodone to dealers for distribution on the street. Kent then laundered the drug proceeds through a shell company he created called "Michael's Cleaning Service," using the money to buy three buildings in New York City. When he was arrested in October 2022, law enforcement officers recovered two loaded firearms from his home and seized thousands of dollars in cash.

Oxycodone is a highly addictive opioid used to treat severe and chronic pain conditions. Every year, millions of Americans abuse oxycodone, and the misuse of prescription painkillers like oxycodone leads to hundreds of thousands of annual emergency room visits. More than 14,000 Americans died from prescription opioid overdoses in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Oxycodone prescriptions have enormous cash value to drug dealers. For example, one oxycodone 30 mg tablet, which was the dosage prescribed in this case, can be sold by dealers on the street for between $20 and $30 in New York City.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Attorney" datavalue="Attorney"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Attorneys" datavalue="Attorneys">Attorneys Laura Zuckerwise, Victor Zapana and Gilbert Rein are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from paralegal specialists Rachel Friedman and Nadya Osman. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Office's Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.

The <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Defendant" datavalue="Defendant"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Defendants" datavalue="Defendants">Defendant:

MICHAEL KENT
Age: 51
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-464 (AMD)

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Updated October 29, 2024