Mother, daughter charged in Web prescription scheme

NORFOLK

A mother-daughter team has been charged with running an illegal pharmacy from their Chesapeake apartment, dispensing thousands of painkillers and other narcotics across the country after advertising their services in Internet chat rooms.

Krystal N. Barber, 23, and her mother, Sharon C. Brown, 51, of Crestwood Lane were in U.S. District Court this week to face several counts of conspiracy to operate drug premises, wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft and money laundering.

A federal magistrate judge on Tuesday denied bond to Barber, despite arguments from her lawyer that the operation was largely run by Brown.

"I don't buy that," countered Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Comstock.

After hearing testimony from a special agent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Magistrate Judge James E. Bradberry sent the case to a grand jury and ordered Barber jailed without bond.

Brown made her initial appearance in federal court on Monday and is in jail awaiting her bond hearing Thursday.

According to court papers, the case unfolded in March when Barber dropped off three prescriptions, for Percocet and Ritalin, at a Virginia Beach Farm Fresh pharmacy. The pharmacist contacted the doctor listed on the forms and learned that the prescriptions were fraudulent, court papers said. The police were called, and Barber was arrested.

That led Virginia Beach police to arrest Barber and her mother on state charges. They have been in jail since March 12.

Then, the FDA, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Social Security Administration conducted a two-month investigation that led to the federal charges.

According to a federal criminal complaint, the suspects used the names and DEA numbers of at least 23 doctors, which enabled them to order at least 1,000 prescription forms from National RX Security, a Florida company, that were mailed to their home.

They then advertised on the Internet, offering prescriptions for hydrocodone, Xanax, methadone and other narcotics, charging a $30 consultation fee and $15 per prescription, the complaint says.

"The prescriptions are real," read one ad, according to the complaint. "The reason that we do not have a Web site is because there are many people out there who want to regulate what we can and cannot do with our bodies and they would try to shut us down."

FDA special agent Timothy Royster said in the complaint that he believes the two distributed nearly 4,000 pills in just four to six weeks. One doctor's name and DEA number was used fraudulently at least 250 times, he said.

Royster said in court Tuesday that he did not know how the women obtained the confidential license information of 23 doctors.

It was unclear Tuesday whether any customers were arrested.

Keith Kimball, an assistant federal public defender representing Barber, said in court that the operation was largely run by Brown and that his client suffers from schizophrenia.

But Comstock said that the operation was jointly run and that Barber gave a five-page confession.

Tim McGlone, (757) 446-2343, tim.mcglone@pilotonline.com