Towson Pharmacist Sentenced To 40 Months In Federal Prison For Distributing Oxycodone In Exchange For Sexual Favors

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Richard Daniel Hiller, age 64, of Owings Mills, Maryland, formerly a licensed pharmacist, to 40 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and for distributing oxycodone.  Judge Hollander also ordered Hiller to pay a fine of $15,000.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.

 “Hiller abused his position of trust and exploited women who were addicted to oxycodone to obtain sexual favors.  Those who divert pharmaceutical drugs for illegal purposes further the tragic cycle of addiction and the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.

According to his plea agreement, Hiller was a licensed pharmacist working at a pharmacy in Towson, Maryland.  Hiller admitted that he filled fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone for several women in return for sexual favors.  On numerous occasions between January 2014 and February 2017, Hiller directed two of the women to come to the pharmacy where he worked prior to the opening of the pharmacy.  Hiller would make them engage in sexual intercourse or perform other sexual acts in the rear area of the pharmacy prior to filling their fake prescriptions for oxycodone.

Beginning in 2014, Hiller also distributed oxycodone to a third woman.  In return for distributing oxycodone to her, often without any valid prescription, Hiller would ask the woman to send him nude photos and sexual videos of herself, and allow him to grope and kiss her.  This woman would sometimes use different names to simultaneously obtain oxycodone prescriptions from two doctors.  Hiller would fill both prescriptions knowing they had been fraudulently obtained.  When the woman rejected one of Hiller’s advances, he called the woman’s doctors to notify them that she was fraudulently obtaining prescriptions from both of them.

Hiller filled these prescriptions knowing they were fraudulent and outside the usual course of professional practice.  Hiller would permit the women to fill additional prescriptions for oxycodone before the previous 30-day window had expired.  In an effort to hide the conspiracy, some of the fraudulent prescriptions listed fake names and names of family members.  The women were addicted to oxycodone and would resell many of the pills they obtained from Hiller to maintain their addiction.  Over the course of the conspiracy, Hiller distributed approximately 20,500 15 milligram oxycodone pills.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in these investigations.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Burden H. Walker, who prosecuted the case.

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