Men Stole MN, WI Doctor IDs To Obtain Cough Syrup: Feds

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors have charged three people in a scheme to acquire controlled substances, including promethazine with codeine, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced on Friday.

The defendants — Oscar Becerra-Ruiz, 21, Jasper William Johnson, 19, and Rayjaun Keon Varner, 23 — conspired from December 2022 to August 2023 to obtain the prescription opioid cough syrup by exploiting government databases and impersonating physicians, authorities said.

Becerra-Ruiz, Johnson, and Varner are charged with conspiracy to obtain controlled substances by fraud and attempting to obtain controlled substances by fraud. Johnson also faces 11 counts of wire fraud, three counts of computer fraud, and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

The trio will be arraigned at a later date.

According to court documents, the group used paid online search services to access identifying information for licensed doctors in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Using the stolen credentials, Johnson reportedly breached the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Registrant Information Consolidated System, a database meant to safeguard against the misuse of controlled substances.

Johnson altered the contact information for multiple physicians in the RICS system, redirecting communications to phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses he controlled.

The stolen data was then used to create fraudulent accounts with online pharmaceutical wholesalers, authorities said.

Using prepaid debit cards and peer-to-peer payment accounts set up in the physicians’ names, the men placed orders for promethazine with codeine and other controlled substances, authorities said.

Investigators said they have not found evidence that patient information was compromised in the scheme.