Press Release
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Hawaii
PJKK Federal Building (808) 541-2850
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 6-100 FAX (808) 541-2958
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
For Immediate Release
Contact: Elliot Enoki
October 10, 2008
HONOLULU PHYSICIAN SENTENCED TO PRISON
United States District Judge David A. Ezra today sentenced Honolulu physician Barry N. Odegaard, M.D., age 56, to five years imprisonment and a fine of $12,500 for illegally distributing and dispensing Oxycontin, a prescription drug containing oxycodone, a controlled substance. Odegaard was convicted in June 2008 following a six-day jury trial.
United States Attorney Edward H. Kubo, Jr. said that according to evidence produced at trial, Odegaard's conviction was based on five purchases totaling approximately 43,200 milligrams of Oxycontin by a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant between August and December 2004, during an undercover investigation. That investigation was initiated based on information provided by the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the State of Hawaii Department of Public Safety (NED) and the Medical Examiner's Office of the City and County of Honolulu. Evidence produced at trial established that Odegaard received between $100 and $200 from the informant at the time he wrote the prescriptions for the Oxycontin.
The prosecution was the result of an investigation by DEA, NED, the Honolulu Police Department, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan M. F. Loo.
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