Illinois Man to Plead Guilty to Illegal Distribution of Prescription Drugs

BOSTON—An Illinois man was charged and has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs.

STEVEN B. IMMERGLUCK, 35 of Aurora, Ill., was charged late yesterday with conspiracy to distribute and dispense Schedule III and IV controlled substances and two counts of illegal use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug crime. A plea agreement was also filed and date for the plea hearing has not yet been set.

The information alleges from September 2006, and continuing to on or about October 2008, IMMERGLUCK conspired and agreed with others to knowingly and intentionally distribute, dispense, and to possess with intent to distribute and dispense Schedule III and IV controlled substances without valid prescriptions—that is, prescriptions that were issued outside of the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. The controlled substances included but were not limited to: Phendimetrazine Tartrate, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Lorazepam, Phentermine, Phentermine Blue, and Phentermine Yellow.

The information further charges IMMERGLUCK with knowingly and intentionally using a communication facility, namely electronic mail via the Internet, to send and receive e-mail in committing and causing and facilitating the illegal distribution, dispensing, and possession of controlled substances.

If convicted on the charge of conspiracy to district controlled substances IMMERGLUCK faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. On each of the illegal use of a communications facility charges, he faces up to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Steven Derr, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Boston Field Division; Mark Dragonetti, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office; William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Boston Field Office; and Robert Bethel, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today.

The case being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Elizabeth Carmody and Shelbey D. Wright of Ortiz’s Health Care Fraud Unit.