Montgomery County Oxycodone Distributor Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Philip Rice D’Avanzo, age 29, of Bethesda, Maryland, today to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered D’Avanzo to pay a $10,000 fine, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone. Judge Chuang also entered an order requiring D’Avanzo to forfeit three luxury wristwatches, his pick-up truck and $241,352 in cash.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.

 According to D’Avanzo’s plea agreement and court documents, from June 2014 through September 25, 2014, D’Avanzo, Richard Michael Mathisen, and others, conspired to distribute oxycodone.  As part of the conspiracy, co-conspirators obtained MRIs, which another co-conspirator altered to make them appear as though the individuals required prescriptions for pain medication.  The co-conspirators either gave or sold to D’Avanzo or Mathiesen all or some of the oxycodone obtained from the prescriptions.  The defendants then used some of the oxycodone for themselves and distributed some of the oxycodone to others.

According to D’Avanzo’s plea agreement, on September 25, 2014, D’Avanzo went to Mathisen’s residence and at Mathisen’s request took 18 oxycodone pills, 10 methadone pills and 45 amphetamine and detroampehetamine pills, that Mathisen wanted removed from his home in case law enforcement officers searched his house.  D’Avanzo put the drugs in his truck.  Later that day, Montgomery County Police officers executed a search warrant at D’Avanzo’s residence.  In addition to recovering the pill bottles in the names of people who did not reside at his residence, law enforcement recovered both a shotgun and a semi-automatic assault rifle next to D’Avanzo’s bed, and eight 30-round magazines, including one that was fully loaded and was found adjacent to the semi-automatic assault rifle.

A search warrant was also executed at Mathisen’s residence on September 25, 2014, and Montgomery County Police seized pill bottles in the names of individuals who did not reside at his residence.

D’Avanzo admitted that during his participation in the drug conspiracy between 15 and 60 grams of oxycodone were distributed.  D’Avanzo used proceeds from the conspiracy to purchase three luxury wristwatches, which he must forfeit along with his pick-up truck and $241,352 in cash. 

On February 3, 2016, Richard Michael Mathisen, age 29, of Rockville, Maryland was sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiring to distribute oxycodone.  Judge Chuang also entered an order requiring him to pay a $60,000 fine.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF and Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Eyler Kaplan, who prosecuted the case.