Sentencing In Oxycodone Pill Thefts From Amneal Pharmaceuticals Adjourned Till May: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — The case of a Queens woman who admitted to stealing thousands of oxycodone pills from her former employer, Amneal Pharmaceuticals in Brookhaven, was adjourned Wednesday pending her sentencing on May 9, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney's office said.

Usharani Alexander, 63, of Bellerose is alleged to have stolen thousands of oxycodone pills while she worked as an operator in the packaging department of Amneal in 2022, prosecutors previously said back after her arrest in December 2022.

The company discovered the theft when an audit uncovered a discrepancy between the number of oxycodone pills that were manufactured, and the number of pills that were actually packaged for distribution, according to prosecutors.

An internal investigation, including a review of video surveillance, identified Alexander as the person responsible for the theft, prosecutors said, adding that she used her key card to gain access to the packaging area at a time when she was not scheduled to be there, according to prosecutors.

Alexander pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, as well as third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and grand larceny, all felonies, on Feb. 7, online court documents show.

After her arrest, her attorney, Steven Gaitman of Hempstead, told Patch that she was never in trouble with the law before.

"She is a family woman with strong ties to the community and she looks forward to her day in court," he said.

After her arrest, Tierney said Alexander abused her position as an employee by stealing and illegally distributing oxycodone pills, "which are highly addictive, if not used properly.”

“We continue to see the tragic effects of opioid addiction and its damaging effects on our communities," he said. "This alleged theft and illegal distribution of more than 200,000 thousand oxycodone pills will not be tolerated.”

Alexander has been free without bail since her arrest, court documents show.