The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced June 30 that four Pensacola women were indicted with charges related to illegal drug diversion to defraud medical programs.
U.S. Attorney John Heekin announced charges against 31-year-old Alexandra Christensen, 41-year-old Lindsay McCray, 36-year-old Heather Bradley and 39-year-old Jennifer Purves.
“As alleged in the indictment, between 2015 and 2024, McCray, while employed by a medical practice, forged controlled substance prescriptions using the names, signatures and Drug Enforcement Administration registration numbers of the practice’s two physicians without their knowledge or authorization,” a release said.
As a result of the conspiracy, McCray, Christensen and others allegedly contributed to the unlawful distribution of over 300,000 hydrocodone pills and over 30,000 oxycodone pills. McCray is further charged with distributing and aiding and abetting the distribution of amphetamine with Bradley and Purves.
Christensen and McCray are charged with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances, while McCray, Bradley and Purves are charged with distribution of controlled substances.
McCray is also charged with identity theft in connection to diverted oxycodone, hydrocodone and amphetamine.
Trial for all four defendants is scheduled for Aug. 15. McCray faces up to 80 years in federal prison while Christensen, Bradley and Purves face up to 20 years.
Heekin says the arrest of the four defendants are part of a nationwide law enforcement action that has resulted in the arrest of 324 people for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances.
“The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets,” the release said.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Four Pensacola women federally charged in $14.6 billion nationwide healthcare scheme
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
