Aiken Woman Sentenced in Oxycodone Case

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that Erica Christian Hatcher, age 28, of Wagener, South Carolina, was sentenced today in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for conspiracy to distribute the prescription painkiller oxycodone, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846. United States District Judge Margaret B. Seymour of Columbia sentenced Hatcher to one year and one day. Hatcher was also ordered to pay $1,886.22 in restitution. After she is released from prison, Hatcher will be on supervised release for three years.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing and during the subsequent sentencing hearing established that Hatcher became addicted to oxycodone after she suffered sports injuries. Due to the addiction, she teamed up with Amy Hibbitts to obtain and share illegally obtained oxycodone. Ms. Hibbitts has pleaded guilty in the case and will be sentenced later. Hatcher and Hibbitts obtained drugs from pharmacies in South Carolina and Georgia. In some cases, they used forged prescriptions and prescriptions in the names of other persons. The restitution order stemmed from using the insurance coverage of other people to obtain drugs.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Aiken Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office handled the case.