A federal jury convicted a California man for his role in running a prescription opioids trafficking conspiracy, officials say.
Court documents show 57-year-old Myron Motley of Richmond, California, conspired with others to distribute Oxycodone and Hydrocodone. Motley enlisted Dr. Eric Math of Reno to write fraudulent prescriptions for the drugs to Motley and four others, including three from Reno.
The group would then fill the prescriptions and sell them.
Motley faces a mandatory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Motley was charged along with co-conspirators Dr. Eric Math of Reno; Michael Kwoka of Fair Oaks, California; Michael Slater of Reno; Ivy Elliott of Reno; and Alesia Sampson of Grass Valley, California who have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Co-conspirator Jeannette awaits a jury trial.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Department of Justice says a Reno doctor and seven other people are charged in a case alleging oxycodone and hydrocodone prescription drug trafficking.
The Justice Department says Eric Math, M.D., 50, of Reno; Myron Motley, 55, of Richmond, California; Michael Kwoka, 56, of Fair Oaks, California; Michael Slater, 42, of Reno; Joseph Jeannette, 51, of Reno; Ivy Elliott, 35, of Reno; and Alesia Sampson, 56, of Grass Valley, California, are all charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute Oxycodone.
Motley and Elliott are also charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine. Federal authorities say Motley is also charged with four counts of distribution of Oxycodone and one count of distribution of Hydrocodone, Math and Slater are also each charged with one count of distribution of Oxycodone and one count of distribution of Hydrocodone, and Kwoka and Elliot are also charged with one count of distribution of Oxycodone.
In a separate indictment, federal authorities say Motley and Randy Raihall, 58, of Reno, are each charged with one count of distribution of Oxycodone.
According to allegations contained in the indictment, from January 2018 to May 2019, the defendants conspired to possess and distribute Oxycodone and Hydrocodone, each a schedule II controlled substance, with Dr. Math issuing prescriptions for the same without a medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice.
The mandatory minimum is 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
(Justice Department contributed to this report.)
