72-Year-Old Sentenced on Prescription and Heroin Drug Distribution, Witness Tampering, and Health Care Fraud Charges

Roanoke, VIRGINIA – A Roanoke man, who used a drug rehabilitation program in the Roanoke City jail to obtain sex partners in exchange for drugs, was sentenced today on federal drug distribution, witness tampering, and health care fraud charges, Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle announced.

Gordon Reaves Parker, 72, of Roanoke, Virginia, previously waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of tampering with a witness and one count of health care fraud. Today in District Court, Parker was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release thereafter. In addition, Parker was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000, restitution to Medicare in the amount of $1,262 and $275,000 immediate payment in lieu of forfeiture.

“Putting a stop to predators like Parker, who exploit vulnerable victims and who corruptly use programs designed to help those victims, is one of our office’s priorities. As a result of this case, Parker can no longer abuse vulnerable, drug-addicted young women through his corrupt manipulation of the Alpha drug program,” Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle said today. “I commend the Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration Tactical Diversion Squad, and AUSAs Waering and Day for their diligence and hard work in bringing Parker to justice.”

According to evidence presented at previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Jennie L. M. Waering, Parker used the Alpha drug rehabilitation program in the Roanoke County Jail as a mechanism for obtaining sex partners in exchange for drugs. Parker initially met victim HW, then 28, when she was residing at the Roanoke Rescue Mission. Parker offered HW drugs in exchange for sex. HW was subsequently arrested and placed in the Roanoke City Jail in the Alpha drug intervention program. Parker kept in touch with HW by phone and put significant amounts of money in HW’s jail account.

Parker has admitted to asking HW to introduce him to other young Alpha drug program inmates who might be released from jail before HW. HW introduced Parker to JM, age 20 at the time. JM, in turn, introduced Parker to BH, age 25 at the time. JM and BH talked to Parker extensively on the telephone from jail. Parker put large amounts of money on the jail accounts of JM and BH. JM and BH subsequently introduced Parker to several other Alpha drug program inmates.

Evidence presented previously showed that Parker eventually made contact with at least 11 women, between the ages of 18-27, many of whom he met while they were in jail in the Alpha drug program. Parker talked extensively to many of the women on the phone in conversations recorded by the jail and put money on their jail accounts. Parker promised these young women a variety of monetary gifts and promised to pay fines, child support and other expenses. Parker discussed sexual activities with them on the phone, describing what they would do together when they were released. When the women were released from jail, these women visited him at his Wipledale Avenue home and at his Rockbridge Court home, where he offered the women drugs (hydromorphone, oxycodone, morphine, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and heroin) and large monetary gifts in exchange for sex. This activity was repeated with more than ten drug addicted or recovering women and the drugs given to the women were obtained from prescriptions written for his disabled wife by a pain management physician.

In addition, Parker previously admitted that he asked a medical technician that cared for his wife and was in charge of distributing her pain medication, to lie to the federal grand jury to account for his use of the stockpiled controlled substances that were prescribed to his wife.

The investigation of the case was initiated by the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and jointly conducted with the Drug Enforcement Administration Tactical Diversion Squad. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennie L. M. Waering and Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case for the United States.