Oxycodone is an opoid is that is used to treat moderate to severe pain. Often sold under the brand name OxyContin, the drug is taken orally and works as an immediate-relate or controlled-release pain killer. Pain relief usually begins within fifteen minutes and can last for up to six hours. Oxycodone, however, is a highly addictive and commonly abused drug. It is known for being habit-forming and is often the culprit for overdoses leading to death.
MedlinePlus warns those who have been prescribed oxycodone to strictly follow the directions given to them by their doctors. “Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family drinks or has ever drunk large amounts of alcohol, uses or has ever used street drugs, or has overused prescription medications, or has had an overdose, or if you have or have ever had depression or another mental illness,” warns their website, “There is a greater risk that you will overuse oxycodone if you have or have ever had any of these conditions.”
D’livro Lemat Beauchamp illegally distributed oxycodone.
As reported by the Middle District of Alabama branch of the United States Department of Justice last week, the 56 year-old former physician was sentenced to 135 months in prison. Beauchamp is a resident of Montgomery, Alabama. From 1996 to 2020, he practiced medicine at a Montgomery medical practice named Obelisk Healthcare. He pleaded guilty to a scheme involving the illegal distribution of oxycodone in October of 2020.
According to his plea agreement and other court records, Beauchamp agreed to write illegitimate and unnecessary oxycodone prescriptions starting in 2012. For each illegal prescription he wrote, Beauchamp received $350. Between 2012 and 2020, various organizers of the scheme recruited individuals to fill these illegitimate prescriptions at numerous pharmacies. Beauchamp wrote prescriptions to the recruits knowing they served no legitimate medical purpose.
Recruits were typically paid between $100 and $250 per prescription filled.
The organizers of the scheme collected the oxycodone pills to sell to other distributors. Beauchamp wrote nearly 1,600 illegal prescriptions as part of the scheme. This caused the illegal distribution of approximately 4,000,000 milligrams of oxycodone. In total, 38 individuals were charged for their roles in the conspiracy. “Beauchamp’s prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release,” reveals the DoJ, “There is no parole in the federal system.”
United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart made the announcement about Beauchamp’s sentencing last week. She had this to say about it: “Not only did the defendant’s unlawful actions violate his oath to provide care for his patients, but they also contributed to the vicious cycle of addiction that is destroying lives and families...The thorough investigation that followed resulted in the dismantling of a drug supply line that led straight to our communities.”
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