Des Moines Pharmacist Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

DES MOINES, IA – On February 20, 2015, Mark Graziano, previous owner of Bauder Pharmacy in Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief Judge James E. Gritzner to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release following the period of imprisonment, announced United States Attorney Nick Klinefeldt. Graziano stipulated that the federal tax loss was $455,204 and the State of Iowa tax loss was $122,301, and Judge Gritzner also ordered restitution in the amount of $577,505.

Graziano pled guilty to the charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and tax evasion on November 6, 2014. By agreement, Graziano agreed to forfeit the property listed in the Notice of Forfeiture in the Second Superseding Indictment, and the property is in the process of being sold with the proceeds being applied toward the restitution judgment.

“In addition to cheating on his taxes, Graziano has now admitted that he illegally sold hydrocodone pills out of Bauder Pharmacy” stated Nick Klinefeldt. “This occurred over five years, and involved hundreds of thousands of pills. Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem in this state and across the country. It wreaks havoc on the lives of all those involved. It has also been demonstrated to lead to the addiction of even more dangerous drugs, such as heroin. Though Graziano is a pharmacist, this activity had nothing to do with legitimate pharmacy practice. Graziano was a drug dealer: plain and simple.”

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Prosecution of this matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

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