U.S. Department
of Justice
Co-Conspirator Of Arlington Doctor Pleads Guilty To Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Donald Alvin Petties, 51, of Sterling, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and dispense a controlled substance and to possession with intent to distribute and dispense controlled substances.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Andrew G. McCabe, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Petties faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the conspiracy offense. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Petties admitted that during the course of the conspiracy, which began in February 2013, an Arlington, Virginia doctor, Derron McRae Simon, wrote numerous oxycodone prescriptions for Petties that were not for a legitimate medical purpose and were beyond the bounds of medical practice. Simon also wrote fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions in the names of Petties’s mother and children, without their knowledge or authorization, and Petties then filled these fraudulent prescriptions. Petties and Simon would sell the oxycodone to other co-conspirators for further distribution. Petties conspired to distribute at least 6,540 oxycodone 30 mg pills, while Simon conspired to distribute at least 11,000 oxycodone 30 mg pills.
Simon pleaded guilty on December 18, 2014, to conspiracy to distribute and dispense, and to possession with intent to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Simon also pleaded guilty to distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21. In addition to Petties, seven other co-conspirators of Simon have previously pleaded guilty as a result of the investigation.
On July 28, 2014, Simon signed a consent order with the Virginia Board of Medicine and voluntarily and permanently surrendered his license to practice medicine and perform surgery in Virginia. The consent order states Simon will not be eligible for reinstatement of his license at any future date.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Ptashkin, Jennifer A. Clarke, and Jason M. Scheff are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-300.