72-Year-Old GA Pharmacist Convicted Of Filling Fake Pain Killer Prescriptions: DA

COBB COUNTY, GA — A Mableton pharmacist is facing more 15 years in prison for filling fraudulent prescriptions for opioids between 2014 and 2016, announced the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Georgia on Wednesday.

After a two-week trial, 72-year-old Thomas Ukoshovbera A. Gbenedio, was convicted of 70 counts of illegally dispensing and distributing controlled substances and one count of refusing an administrative inspection warrant. After the jury found him guilty for illegally filling prescriptions for opioids from Better Way Pharmacy between 2014 and 2016, he attempted to flee the country, according to the news release.

U.S. Marshals, Customs and Border Protection and the FBI located him at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Gbenedio was ordered to report to probation for location monitoring but didn't report. A judge sentenced him to 15 years, eight months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $200,000 fine.

According to federal prosecutors, Gbenedio charged "customers" up to $1,000 to fill fake prescriptions for large quantities of highly addictive opioids, like oxycodone.

Georgia Drug & Narcotics Agency agents inspected Gbenedio's pharmacy, known as Better Way, and noticed that several of his customers were driving long distances from Kentucky and Alabama to get prescriptions filled. Investigators learned Gbenedio filled fake prescriptions for controlled substances between 2014 and 2016.