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TRENTON - Acting Attorney
General Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice
Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that
a Jersey City man pleaded guilty today to
distributing OxyContin pills in a school
zone on three occasions last year.
According to Acting Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor Riza Dagli, Raymond Bremner,
42, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to second-degree
distribution of narcotics, two counts of
second-degree distribution of narcotics
within 500 feet of a public park, and three
counts of third-degree distribution of narcotics
within 1,000 feet of a school. Bremner pleaded
guilty before Superior Court Judge Kevin
G. Callahan in Hudson County. Four of the
counts were filed by accusation and the
remaining counts were part of an Aug. 29,
2009 Hudson County grand jury indictment.
In pleading guilty, Bremner
admitted that on three occasions in 2009
- on May 14, Oct. 3 and Oct. 12 - he distributed
OxyContin pills in Jersey City. On all three
occasions, he was within 1,000 feet of a
school, and on both occasions in October
he was also within 500 feet of a public
park, Sergeant Anthony Park. The transaction
in May involved more than one-half ounce
of OxyContin.
Under the plea agreement,
the state will recommend that Bremner be
sentenced to seven years in state prison,
including 33 months without possibility
of parole. Judge Callahan scheduled sentencing
for Bremner for March 26. Deputy Attorney
General Debra A. Conrad represented the
state at the guilty plea hearing.
Today’s plea resulted
from an ongoing investigation by the Office
of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s
Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Jersey
City Police Department’s Special Investigation
Unit. Since October, more than 25 people,
including doctors and pharmacists, have
been arrested in the joint investigation,
which uncovered a major criminal narcotics
network based in Hudson County that distributed
thousands of black market prescription pain
pills such as OxyContin and Percocet. The
network was obtaining fraudulent narcotics
prescriptions and filling them at various
pharmacies. At the same time, Medicaid was
being billed for phony doctor visits and
prescription medicines that were never dispensed.
The network allegedly distributed
the prescription pain pills throughout Hudson
County and other parts of the state, including
Bergen, Ocean, Morris and Monmouth counties.
A single 30 milligram OxyContin pill, known
as a “blue,” typically sells
for $10 to $20 on the street, while a 10
milligram Percocet pill sells for $5 to
$8.
Detective Kevin Gannon and
Deputy Attorneys General Cynthia Vazquez
and Debra A. Conrad were assigned to the
investigation into this case for OIFP’s
Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
The Medicaid program, which
is funded by the state and federal governments,
provides health care services and prescription
drugs to persons who may not otherwise be
able to afford such services and medicines.
The State of New Jersey administers the
Medicaid program through the Division of
Medical Assistance and Health Services and
through the Office of the Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor’s Medicaid Fraud Control
Unit, which investigates both criminal and
civil Medicaid fraud and abuse in that program.
Anyone
with information about fraud or abuse involving
the Medicaid program or Medicaid providers
is urged to call the Medicaid Fraud Control
Unit toll free at 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visit www.NJInsuranceFraud.org.
All information received will remain confidential.
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