Three Sentenced For Conspiracy To Distribute Hydrocodone And Carisoprodol And Obtaining Fraudulent Prescriptions

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Three individuals who conspired to fraudulently obtain controlled substances and distribute hydrocodone and carisoprodol were recently sentenced in federal court by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge.

Jeffery Lynn Anderson, 37 of Kingsport, Tenn., was sentenced on April 4, 2016, to serve 77 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute hydrocodone and carisoprodol and for conspiring to fraudulently obtain controlled substances. Kirstina Dawn Blazer, 35, of Kingsport, Tenn., was sentenced on April 11, 2016, to time served, after serving more than a year in custody for her participation in the conspiracy.  Elizabeth Bowers Campbell, 38, of Johnson City, Tenn., was sentenced on March 28, 2016, to serve four years of probation, including intermittent periods of incarceration as a special condition of probation, for her role in the offenses. 

Anderson, Blazer, and Campbell, met at a Johnson City pain clinic where Campbell and an additional co-defendant Kimberly Culbertson were employed.  In April 2015, Anderson, Blazer, Campbell, and Culbertson were named in a four-count indictment charging trafficking of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol, as well as conspiracy to fraudulently obtain controlled substances.  The charges initiated from an investigation of fraudulently issued prescriptions using the DEA number of a now-retired Johnson City physician who had previously employed Campbell and Culbertson.  According to documents on file with the U.S. District Court, over 10,500 dose units of hydrocodone and 450 dose units of carisoprodol (cumulatively) were fraudulently obtained and distributed by Anderson, Blazer, and Campbell. 

All four charged in the indictment have now pleaded guilty. Culbertson is scheduled for sentencing on August 8, 2016.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy S. Harr commended the hard work of law enforcement in this investigation and stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes cases involving distribution of these highly addictive prescription medications very seriously. We will continue to work together with law enforcement to prosecute these types of offenses.” 

This investigation was conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant Attorney General (Virginia)/Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Shipley represented the United States.                                              

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