Bethany Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involvement in Oxycontin Distribution Conspiracy

Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that THOMAS MEYERHOLZ, 40, of Bethany, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for his involvement in a conspiracy to obtain and distribute Oxycontin. On June 3, 2009, MEYERHOLZ pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to acquire Oxycontin by fraud, and one count of acquiring Oxycontin by fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, MEYERHOLZ used forged prescriptions to obtain Oxycontin from a Greenwich pharmacy, and also paid others to receive fraudulent prescriptions for Oxycontin from a doctor, some of which he subsequently sold for profit.

The investigation revealed that MEYERHOLZ obtained more than 18,000 Oxycontin pills in the one-year period prior to his indictment. During the course of the investigation, MEYERHOLZ made statements to an individual working with law enforcement that he made approximately $11,000 every two weeks by selling the pills, and that he used some of the money to pay for his children’s schooling.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rahul Kale, William M. Brown, Jr., and Richard M. Molot.

People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Working Group at (203) 785-9270 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.