Aiken Doctor Among Multiple Defendants Indicted for Illegal Distribution of Oxycodone

Contact Person: Beth Drake (803) 929-3000

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles announced today an indictment charging multiple defendants, including Dr. Mackie James Walker, Jr., a podiatrist of Aiken, South Carolina, with their roles in a conspiracy to illegally distribute oxycodone.

The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, from January 2013 and continuing until the date of the indictment, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846.  Walker is also charged with two counts of distributing oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1), and one count of using a telephone to facilitate the commission of a felony under the Controlled Substances Act, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b).  The maximum penalty Walker could receive is twenty years’ imprisonment for the drug counts and four years’ imprisonment for the count charging use of a communication device to facilitate the commission of a felony under the Controlled Substances Act.

Mr. Nettles states that the indictment follows two other recent federal indictments charging multiple individuals in and around Aiken County with the illegal distribution of oxycodone, and it represents the office’s commitment to address the illegal distribution of prescription pills.

The indictment is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Ben Garner of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

Mr. Nettles states that the charges in this Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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