Missouri Man Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Pass Fraudulent Prescriptions

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that on November 19, 2015, Luke Xavier Lore, 47, formerly of Saint Louis, Missouri, pled guilty to two counts of Attempting to Acquire or Obtain a Controlled Substance by Misrepresentation, Fraud, Forgery, Deception or Subterfuge. The charges carry maximum penalties of four years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and one year of supervised release. Having been previously arrested on July 2, 2015, pursuant to a federal criminal complaint, Lore remains detained, without bond, pending sentencing. The district court set sentencing for March 8, 2016.

According to facts revealed in court, on February 2, 2015, in Madison County, and on April 6, 2015 in Saint Clair County, Lore created fraudulent prescriptions and attempted to have them passed at pharmacies. In February, he attempted to illegally obtain Hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and Alprazolam (trade name: Xanax), a Schedule IV controlled substance. In April, he attempted to illegally obtain Hydrocodone (trade name: Norco).

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the Alton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. Coonan.