Nine-Year Sentence for Man Involved in $24 Million Oxycodone Distribution Scheme

Michael Kent, 51, of Brooklyn, was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison for his involvement in a narcotics conspiracy that operated in Brooklyn, which included recruiting fake patients, bribing pharmacists, and distributing oxycodone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly ordered Kent to forfeit $635,875.

The Operation Details

From December 2018 to October 2022, Kent and his co-defendants ran a drug ring from a medical practice located on Linden Boulevard in East New York. During this period, they distributed over 11,000 oxycodone prescriptions, amounting to 1.2 million pills with a street value of $24 million.

Kent’s criminal activities included recruiting 45 sham patients who were prescribed more than six kilograms of unnecessary oxycodone. He compensated these individuals for their identities, collected the oxycodone from bribed pharmacists, and then resold the drugs to dealers. To launder the proceeds, he used a shell company called “Michael’s Cleaning Service” to purchase three properties in New York City.

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When Kent was arrested in October 2022, law enforcement officers discovered two loaded firearms at his residence and seized thousands of dollars in cash.

The Opioid Crisis

Oxycodone is a highly addictive opioid commonly prescribed for severe and chronic pain conditions. Prescription pills, like the 30 mg oxycodone tablets involved in this case, can command high prices on the black market, often selling for between $20 and $30 each in New York City.

Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, commented on the severity of the opioid epidemic, stating, “The opioid epidemic has destroyed countless families and communities in our district, New York City, and across the country. The proliferation of pill mill clinics, like the medical office involved in this case, significantly contributes to the opioid crisis. Today’s sentencing holds the defendant accountable for his role in callously diverting highly potent and addictive drugs from medical offices to the streets of New York.”

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