Cleveland Woman Accused Of Stealing Prescription Pad From Hospital To Obtain Oxycodone

A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging a Cleveland woman with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Charmin Reeves, age 35, is accused of stealing 10 blank prescriptions from an area hospital where she worked. She filled one out one prescription for 90 pills of Oxycontin in November 2009 and sold the other nine blank prescriptions for $900, according to the indictment.

"Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem throughout Ohio," Dettelbach said. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to push back against this trend."

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Collyer. The case was investigated by the Cleveland branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cleveland Police Narcotics Unit.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.