Yonkers doctor, Marc Laruelle, has pled guilty to one count of distributing oxycodone, among other narcotics, without a legitimate medical purpose while acting outside the usual course of professional practice. Laruelle pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Denis L. Cote, on Thursday, Oct. 20, as announced by Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

 

In the context of the announcement, Williams said, “Marc Laruelle abused his medical license and violated the oath of his profession when he prescribed more than 100,000 doses of a highly potent and addictive opioid without a legitimate medical need.” He added, “As this case makes clear, we will aggressively prosecute physicians who are contributing to the national opioid crisis. Laruelle now awaits sentencing for his crime.”

 

According to the charge, Laruelle’s plea agreement, and statements made in court, between in or about September 2016, up to and including in or about October 2021, Laruelle, a licensed doctor specializing in psychiatry, prescribed more than 100,000 doses of oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose outside of the usual course of professional practice.

 

According to the prosecution, oxycodone is a highly potent and addictive opioid that commands high prices in the black market because of demand by drug abusers. Laruelle often prescribed oxycodone in combination with Xanax (alprazolam) and/or Adderall (amphetamine), controlled substances that are themselves frequently abused and resold illicitly. Common brands of oxycodone include Xtampza ER and Roxicodone.

 

The prosecution also said that Laruelle also failed to perform proper physical examinations or medical tests prior to prescribing oxycodone to his patients. He also charged patients as much as $800 per prescription, and prescribed large amounts of oxycodone with the understanding that the quantity would be resold in the black market.

 

Laruelle, 65, of Yonkers, New York, pled guilty to one count of distributing oxycodone, amphetamines, and Xanax, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as prescribed by Congress. Any sentencing in relation to this particular case will be determined by a judge. Laruelle is scheduled to be sentenced by Cote on Jan. 26, 2023.

 

Williams praised what he said was the outstanding work of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) New York Strike Force for their support and assistance in this matter. The OCDETF New York Strike Force is a crime-fighting unit comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies supported by the OCDETF and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

 

The strike force is affiliated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York division and includes agents and officers of the DEA, NYPD, New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal investigation division, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, New York National Guard, Clarkstown Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Port Washington Police Department, and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCC).

 

He also thanked the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement for their assistance in the case.

 

Assistant U.S. attorney, Mitzi S. Steiner, is in charge of the prosecution, and the case is being handled by the Office’s narcotics unit.