Federal Grand Jury Indicts Pharmacist And Others For Scheme To Sell Stolen HIV Medication

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Walt Green announced that, in September, a federal grand jury returned a sealed Indictment against ALVIN WATTS, III, age 35, of Addis, Louisiana, TROY TAYLOR, 35, of White Castle, Louisiana, BRODERICK “CHRIS” LANDRY, 37 of White Castle, Louisiana, and FRANCIS “FRANK” ASIEDU DEBRAH, 38 of Waldorf, Maryland.  The first count in the Indictment charges all four individuals with conspiracy to possess, transport, and traffic in embezzled pre-retail medical products, and to transport stolen property in interstate commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. 

The Indictment alleges that these four individuals participated in a scheme to unlawfully enrich themselves by, among other things, trafficking in and transporting HIV pharmaceutical drugs that had been stolen from the Washington, D.C. Department of Health Pharmacy Warehouse where DEBRAH worked.  The Indictment alleges that DEBRAH and another individual not named in the Indictment, stole HIV medication from the Washington, D.C. Department of Health Pharmacy Warehouse, and then sold the drugs to WATTS who operated a pharmacy called “Doc Your Dose” in Gross Tete, Louisiana.  The Indictment alleges that WATTS sent TAYLOR and LANDRY to Washington, D.C. as couriers to purchase the stolen prescription drugs for cash.    The Indictment further alleges that once TAYLOR and LANDRY returned the stolen prescription drugs to Louisiana, WATTS sold them to customers of his pharmacy.

In addition to the conspiracy count, the Indictment also charges all four men with trafficking in embezzled pre-retail medical products, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 670, and charges WATTS, TAYLOR, and LANDRY with transporting stolen goods in interstate commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2314.  Finally, the Indictment charges WATTS with one count of receipt, possession, or sale of stolen property, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 2315. The Indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation related to proceeds of the offenses. 

This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, with assistance from other FDA components, and the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.  The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Smyczek and Kevin Sanchez.

NOTE: An Indictment is an accusation by the Grand Jury. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.