A 45-year-old Ridgewood man and six others were arrested for their participation in a multi-million prescription forgery ring, law enforcement agents announced this week.
According to the New York division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, 45-year-old Ridgewood man Joseph Bivona and 53-year-old Steven Keller of Valley Stream, are accused of employing drug runners to fill forged prescriptions of oxycodone at pharmacies throughout Brooklyn and Queens.
During the course of the scheme, authorities said, runners were directed to fill over 930 prescriptions for oxycodone. Ultimately it resulted in over 160,000 pills on the street with a street value of nearly $3 million.
“It is alleged that Bivona and Keller schemed to profit off of other people’s addictions by pushing diverted oxycodone onto New York City’s black market since 2011,” DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James Hunt said. “Evident by today’s arrests, law enforcement is committed to identifying prescription drug rings whose crimes contribute to opioid misuse within our communities.”
The DEA further alleged that Bivona and Keller employed family members to fill prescriptions, using the name of an Astoria doctor.
A list of the charges is below:
