U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. Purdue Pharma L.P.
PENDING CRIMINAL DIVISION CASES
Court Assigned: This case is assigned to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse, 50 Walnut Street, Newark, NJ 07102 before Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in courtroom 4A.
Latest Update:
June 24, 2026 - To submit photographs of loved ones impacted by this case for display in Judge Arleo’s chambers, please send photographs to the below address by July 6, 2026.
Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo
United States District Court Judge
Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse
50 Walnut Street
Newark, NJ 07101
An individual has filed a petition with the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit seeking a writ of mandamus pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3771(d)(3), Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA), and claiming the right to restitution. The mandamus petition can be downloaded here and has been docketed under docket number 26-2159. Consistent with that Court’s rules, notice is hereby provided to other potential CVRA victims should they wish to join the action. Individuals wishing to the join the action should refer to Third Circuit Local Appellate Rule 21.1(b).
On April 28, 2026, At a hearing where 36 victims spoke, the court accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Purdue Pharma L.P. The court ordered Purdue to pay a criminal fine of $3.544 billion, which will be assessed in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings, and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture. The Department will credit up to $1.775 billion against the $2 billion forfeiture amount based on the value conferred to state, local, and tribal governments through Purdue’s bankruptcy if Purdue ceases to operate in its current form and emerges from bankruptcy as a public benefit company (PBC) or entity with a similar mission designed for the benefit of the American public. The proceeds of the PBC will be directed toward state and local opioid abatement programs. In addition, Purdue is required to host a public document repository containing documents relating to the criminal charges.
Individuals who would like an impact statement publicly filed on the Court’s docket are directed to submit their statement to victimasssitance.fraud@usdoj.gov no later than 12:00 pm EST on Friday, May 1, 1026.
On April 10, 2026, the Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo issued a minute entry for proceedings held before Judge Madeline Cox Arleo. Specifically, the April 8, 2026 status conference as to Purdue Pharma L.P. The Court’s status conference minutes are available here: Status Conference Minutes – April 8, 2026.
On April 8, 2026, the Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo issued a text order regarding victim impact statements. Specifically, written statements must be submitted by April 16, 2026 at 5:00pm. Individuals must elect whether they want their statement to be: (1) accessible only to the Court, the government, and defendant [PRIVATE], or (2) publicly accessible [PUBLIC]. Statements submitted without an election will be treated as PRIVATE. A limited number of individuals will have an opportunity to provide an oral statement at the April 21, 2026 sentencing hearing, which will be held via videoconference. Individuals who desire an opportunity to provide an oral statement must submit a PUBLIC written statement and provide notice of their desire to speak by April 16, 2026 at 5:00pm. A limited number of individuals will be able to provide an oral statement. Individuals will be notified on April 17, 2026 if they have been selected as a speaker. Each speaker will be provided with five minutes to make an oral statement.
Elections and statements must be submitted to the Department of Justice’s Victim Notification Program (VNS) email at Victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. Please use the following Victim Impact Statement: Purdue VIS.
If you have already submitted a statement, the Victim Assistance team will contact you regarding your statement.
If you want to inform the prosecutor of your views regarding the sentencing hearing or any aspect of the case, please contact the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.
Criminal Charges: On November 24, 2020, Purdue Pharma L.P. (Purdue) pleaded guilty to an information charging it with three felony offenses: one count of dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
As part of the guilty plea, Purdue admitted that from May 2007 through at least March 2017, it conspired to defraud the United States by impeding the lawful function of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Purdue represented to the DEA that it maintained an effective anti-diversion program when, in fact, Purdue continued to market its opioid products to more than 100 health care providers whom the company had good reason to believe were diverting opioids. Purdue also reported misleading information to the DEA to boost Purdue’s manufacturing quotas. The misleading information comprised prescription data that included prescriptions written by doctors that Purdue had good reason to believe were engaged in diversion. The conspiracy also involved aiding and abetting violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by facilitating the dispensing of its opioid products, including OxyContin, without a legitimate medical purpose, and thus without lawful prescriptions.
Purdue also admitted it conspired to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Between June 2009 and March 2017, Purdue made payments to two doctors through Purdue’s doctor speaker program to induce those doctors to write more prescriptions of Purdue’s opioid products. Also, from April 2016 through December 2016, Purdue made payments to Practice Fusion Inc., an electronic health records company, in exchange for referring, recommending, and arranging for the ordering of Purdue’s extended release opioid products – OxyContin, Butrans, and Hysingla.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, the Judge’s acceptance of the plea agreement, pursuant to Rule 11(c)(3)(A), was deferred until the date of the sentencing hearing.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Purdue agreed to a criminal fine of $3.544 billion and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture. Purdue also agreed to a civil settlement that provided the United States with an allowed, unsubordinated, general unsecured bankruptcy claim for recovery of $2.8 billion to resolve its civil liability under the False Claims Act. Separately, the Sackler family has agreed to pay $225 million in damages to resolve its civil False Claims Act liability.
For more information about the charges in this case, please see below:
Information
Plea Agreement
Mandamus Petition
Press Release – October 21, 2020
Press Release – November 24, 2020
Press Release – April 28, 2026
Victim Impact Statement: If you would like to submit a Victim Impact Statement, you may do so by mailing the Victim Impact Statement below (or a letter to the court) to: Victim Witness Unit, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Bond Building, Room 453, Washington, DC 20530. You also may submit the Victim Impact Statement via email at Victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov or by fax at: (202) 514-3708.
The information on this website will be updated as new developments arise in the case. If you have any questions, please call the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at VictimAssistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.
Presumption of Innocence: It is important to keep in mind that a criminal information is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and that presumption requires both the court and our office to take certain steps to ensure that justice is served. On November 24, 2020, Purdue Pharma L.P. (Purdue) pleaded guilty to the criminal information in this case, but the Judge’s acceptance of the plea agreement, pursuant to Rule 11(c)(3)(A), was deferred until the date of the sentencing hearing. If the Court rejects the plea agreement, Purdue may, pursuant to Rule 11(c)(5), withdraw its plea of guilty.
Crime Victims’ Rights Act and Right to Retain Counsel: Because charges have been filed in this case in federal court, you also may be entitled to the following rights, according to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, Title 18, United States Code, Section 3771: (1) The right to be reasonably protected from the accused; (2) The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused; (3) The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding; (4) The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding; (5) The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case; (6) The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law; (7) The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay; (8) The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy; (9) The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement; and (10) The right to be informed of the rights under this section and the services described in section 503(c) of the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. § 10607(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of the Victims’ Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice. The Crime Victims’ Rights Act (18 U.S.C. § 3771) applies only to victims of the counts charged in federal court, and thus individuals may not be able to exercise all of these rights if the crime of which the individual is a victim was not charged.
Section 3771(c)(2) of this Act requires that we advise you that you have the right to retain counsel. Although the statute specifically sets forth your right to seek advice of an attorney with regard to your rights under the statute, there is no requirement that you retain counsel. The Government may not recommend any specific counsel, nor can the Government (or the Court) pay for counsel to represent you. Government attorneys represent the United States.
If you elect to obtain counsel to represent your interests, please have your attorney notify this office in writing at: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Bond Building, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20530, Attention: Victim Witness Unit; fax: (202) 514-3708; or email: victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. If you elect not to retain counsel to represent your interests, you do not need to do anything.