U.S. Attorney Presents Equitable Sharing Funds To Law Enforcement Partners

United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Acting Special Agent in Charge A.D. Wright, DEA Miami Field Division, and United States Marshal William Berger today announce the distribution of more than $2.4 million of criminally forfeited funds to 15 law enforcement agencies for their participation in the successful federal prosecution of Zachary Timothy Rose. On July 16, 2014, Rose was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone and alprazolam, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of the sentence, the Court ordered the forfeiture of $2,461,801, which was deemed the proceeds of the offenses.

Under federal forfeiture laws, criminals can be stripped of assets that were used illegally or purchased with proceeds of illegal activity.  The Asset Forfeiture Program takes the profit out of crime and the Equitable Sharing Program provides crime‑fighting resources to state and local law enforcement. Asset forfeiture and equitable sharing are valuable law enforcement tools that send a clear message that crime does not pay.

According to court documents, Rose opened and operated illegitimate pain clinics in Jacksonville and elsewhere. At these clinics, purported patients were prescribed high dosages of pain medications without appropriate medical examinations and assessments. The clinics often saw in excess of 100 patients per day, and many of the individuals were traveling from Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee to obtain pain pills.

Pursuant to the Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program, the funds have been distributed to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Financial Services – Division of Insurance Fraud, the Dooly County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, the Fernandina Beach Police Department, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Green Cove Springs Police Department, the Florida National Guard Counterdrug Program, the Sunrise Police Department, and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. These agencies provided critical assistance during the investigation, including identifying, locating, and interviewing witnesses, executing federal search warrants, and processing evidence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation of this case, along with the state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Taylor prosecuted the case, and the forfeitures were handled by Assistant United States Bonnie Glober. The U.S. Marshals Service was responsible for depositing and distributing the forfeited funds.