Riverhead Physician Assistant Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Conspiring To Illegally Prescribe Oxycodone

Earlier today in Central Islip, NY, Michael Troyan, a physician assistant who operated two urgent care clinics on the east end of Long Island, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and $710,290 forfeiture, following his guilty plea on June 17, 2016, to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone. The sentencing proceedings were held before U.S. District Judge Denis R. Hurley.

The sentence was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Between November 2011 and October 2015, Troyan, who was authorized to prescribe controlled substances, issued prescriptions for thousands of oxycodone pills to co-conspirators for the purpose of illegally re-selling the pills. During the government’s investigation, Troyan was captured on video in an undercover operation writing phony prescriptions at his Riverhead medical office for oxycodone and receiving large quantities of cash – half the profit from prior illegal sales. As part of his guilty plea, Troyan agreed to forfeit $710,290 attributable to illegal prescription sales.

One of Troyan’s co-conspirators was Southampton Town Councilman Bradley Bender, who was sentenced on June 24, 2016, to 24 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Bender’s resignation as a Councilman was accepted by the Southampton Town Board on the day of his guilty plea, November 24, 2015.

“For years, Troyan supplied Bender and others with phony prescriptions for huge quantities of oxycodone pills, which Bender filled and illegally exchanged for cash and steroids with another co-conspirator. The oxycodone pills were then re-sold to drug abusers, sustaining the destructive abuse of opioid analgesics in our communities,” stated United States Attorney Capers. “This sentence serves as a stern warning to all medical professionals entrusted with authority to prescribe controlled substances that there is a price to pay for such criminal conduct.” Mr. Capers expressed his grateful appreciation to the DEA’s Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad, which led the government’s investigation in this case.

This case is part of a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in the Eastern District of New York, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the New York City Police Department, and New York State Police, along with other key federal, state, and local government partners, launched the Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the United States Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention has called an epidemic increase in the abuse of opioid analgesics. To date, the Initiative has brought over 160 federal and local criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 20 health care professionals, taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy, and a pharmacy chain, removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors and physician assistants, and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers. The Initiative also is involved in an extensive community outreach program to address the abuse of pharmaceuticals.

The government’s case was handled by the Central Islip Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Allen Bode and James Knapp are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

Name: MICHAEL TROYAN

Age: 38

Residence: Riverhead, New York