Maryland Drug Kingpin Receives 20 Years

By: Aujunai Charpentiair

BALTIMORE, MD (June 12, 2018) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced
today that the Honorable J. Michael Wachs of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County
sentenced Tormarco Harris, 32, of Baltimore, to 20 years in prison without the possibility of
parole. Tuesday’s sentencing concludes a successful collaboration led by the Office of the
Attorney General with federal and state law enforcement to combat Maryland’s opioid crisis.

Harris was indicted in August 2017 along with nine other individuals for their role in a scheme to
operate of two pill mills in Baltimore City and Glen Burnie. Each of Harris’ codefendants—
which include a doctor and two nurse practitioners who prescribed opiates without legitimate
medical purpose—pleaded guilty. Sentencing for Harris’ codefendants occurred earlier this
month with one exception: Dr. Kofi Shaw-Taylor entered into a binding plea agreement with a
predetermined 5-year term of incarceration that included restitution to the Maryland Medicaid
Program and the forfeiture of certain seized assets.

“Harris’ sentencing under the drug kingpin statute keeps him behind bars for a long time,” said
Attorney General Frosh. “He dealt deadly prescription drugs using pain management as the
façade. He was just as dangerous as a heroin dealer on the street corner. Today’s sentencing
sends a strong message that our office and law enforcement partners will seek the harshest
penalties to keep more people from dying of opioid abuse.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that health care fraud and diversion of these too often
deadly drugs will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon, Office of
Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We will continue to
work with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer funds and keep the public safe from
these poisonous drugs.”

“The sentence handed down today shows that doctors and other practitioners are not the only
ones that are being held responsible for the proliferation of opiates that have flooded our streets
and have caused an unprecedented amount of addiction,” stated Assistant Special Agent in
Charge Don Hibbert, Drug Enforcement Administration Baltimore District Office. “The owners
and operators of “pill mills” disguised as pain management clinics should be put on notice that
they will also be held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”

Following a bench trial in August, Harris was convicted on all counts in a 21-count superseding
indictment. Specifically, Judge Wachs convicted Harris of one count of violating Maryland’s
drug kingpin statute; one count of conspiring to distribute controlled dangerous substances; 18
counts of distributing controlled dangerous substances; and one count of conspiracy to maintain
a common nuisance.

According to evidence admitted at Harris’ trial, Harris and Dr. Shaw-Taylor owned and operated
Starlife Wellness Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland. From June 2015 through August 2017,
Harris and Dr. Shaw-Taylor operated Starlife as a pill mill, where, in exchange for cash, patients
received unlawful prescriptions for large quantities of narcotics, including oxycodone, morphine,
tramadol, and benzodiazepine.

Evidence admitted at trial also established that: patients paid as much as $500 in cash for their
illegal prescriptions; on certain occasions, co-conspirator medical professionals working at
Starlife were pressured to change prescriptions to prescribe higher quantities of narcotics to their
patients; co-conspirator medical professionals wrote unlawful prescriptions for high volumes of
oxycodone and other drugs to Harris and one of his relatives; and when law enforcement
executed a search warrant at Harris’s home in August 2017, they found a large amount of cash,
prescription pads, a cash counting machine, and numerous letters from national pharmacy chains
placing Harris on notice of the problematic prescription practices at Starlife.

Beginning in as late as June 2015, Harris and Dr. Shaw-Taylor also operated Westside Medical
Group, located in Baltimore City, in a similar fashion until it was raided by law
enforcement. Patients paid as much as $450 in cash for their illegal prescriptions; prescriptions
were being written by individuals without any medical qualifications to do so; prescriptions were
being written for high volumes of oxycodone and dangerous combinations despite ample
evidence in patient files of ongoing substance abuse issues and/or diversion.

Eight Other Co-Defendants in Pill Mill Operation Sentenced

Co-defendant Happiness Aguzie pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute

Controlled Dangerous Substances and one count of felony Medicaid Fraud. Aguzie was
sentenced to a 10 year prison sentence with all but 3 years suspended. Aguzie was a licensed
certified registered nurse practitioner who held a Maryland medical license and a registration
number with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Similar to a medical doctor,
Aguzie was qualified in Maryland to prescribe controlled dangerous substances. As a Medicaid
provider, Medicaid would have unwittingly paid Aguzie for certain otherwise approved costs
associated with the scheme. Aguzie was employed at both Starlife Wellness Center and
Westside Medical Group and routinely wrote prescriptions for opioids in high doses and in high
pill counts that were not for legitimate medical purposes.

Co-defendant Minnie Ndem pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled
Dangerous Substances. Ndem was sentenced to a 10 year prison sentence with all but 18 months
suspended. Ndem was a licensed certified registered nurse practitioner who held a Maryland
medical license and a registration number with the DEA. Similar to a medical doctor, Ndem was
qualified in Maryland to prescribe controlled dangerous substances. Ndem was employed at
Starlife Wellness Center from March 2016 until April 2017 and routinely wrote prescriptions for
opioids in high doses and in high pill counts that were not for legitimate medical
purposes. While employed at Starlife, Ndem also prescribed controlled dangerous substances to
co-defendant Harris.

Co-defendant J. Alex McClary Green pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute
Controlled Dangerous Substances and one count of felony Medicaid Fraud. Green was
sentenced to a 10 year prison sentence with all but 9 months suspended. Green was a licensed
clinical drug and alcohol counselor and/or licensed clinical professional counselor. Green
worked at both Westside and Starlife from June 2015 until February 2017 providing drug and
alcohol counseling to individuals receiving prescriptions for opioids. While employed at Starlife
and Westside, Green would write prescriptions for opiates for himself and other individuals even
though he was not qualified to prescribe controlled dangerous substances. Many of the
individuals that Green would fill out prescriptions for were Medicaid recipients such that
Medicaid would have unwittingly paid for the cost of the prescriptions.

Co-defendant Kwame Asafo-Adjei pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit
Medicaid Fraud. Asafo-Adjei was sentenced to a 5 year prison sentence with all but 30 days
suspended. Asafo-Adjei was an attorney, barred in the District of Columbia since 2011. AsafoAdjei
worked at Westside from as late as December 2016 through April 2017. Asafo-Adjei has
no medical training and is not qualified to prescribe controlled dangerous
substances. Nevertheless, Asafo-Adjei filled out prescriptions for individuals seeking opiates at
Westside on numerous occasions. Many of these individuals were Medicaid beneficiaries such
that Medicaid would have paid for the prescriptions that were filled out by Asafo-Adjei.

Co-defendant Sabina Acquah pleaded guilty to one count of felony Medicaid Fraud. Acquah
was sentenced to a 5 year prison sentence with all but 15 days suspended. Acquah was the
owner of Premier Medical Practice Solutions. Her sole client was defendant Dr. Shaw-Taylor, a
longtime friend. Acquah submitted numerous fraudulent claims to Medicaid arising from the
distribution of controlled dangerous substances at Westside.

Co-defendant Lisa Diehl pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled
Dangerous Substances. Diehl was sentenced to a 5 year prison sentence with all but 2 days
suspended. Diehl was the office manager at Westside and worked at the locations from as late as
December 2016 through March 2017. While working at Westside, Diehl took cash from
individuals in amounts of as much as $450 in exchange for prescriptions that she knew had been
completed by individuals who were not qualified to prescribe controlled dangerous substances.

Co-defendant Brandy Gnacek pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute
Controlled Dangerous Substances. Gnacek was sentenced to a 3 year prison sentence which was
suspended in its entirety. Gnacek worked at the locations from as late as December 2016
through March 2017. While working at Westside, Gnacek took cash from individuals in
amounts of as much as $450 in exchange for prescriptions that she knew had been completed by
individuals who were not qualified to prescribe controlled dangerous substances.

Co-defendant Monique Ford pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit a Theft
Scheme. Ford was sentenced to a 3 year prison sentence which was suspended in its entirety.
Ford is a licensed certified nursing assistant and had been licensed as a medical technician. Ford
worked at Westside from October 2016 through April 2017 and was placed there by a third
party. Ford provided individuals seeking opiate prescriptions that were filled out by individuals
not qualified to prescribe controlled dangerous substances, such as co-defendant Asafo-Adjei, a
lawyer.

Attorney General Frosh thanked the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, particularly Assistant
Attorneys General Marilee L. Miller and Brian A. Marsh, for their work on this matter. Attorney
General Frosh also thanked the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and United
States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, particularly
Special Agent E. Troy Yeager, who led the investigation of the case. Attorney General Frosh
also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office, United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, Howard County Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Anne
Arundel County Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department, and Baltimore City
Police Department for their assistance during the investigation and prosecution of the case.

Article Reprint: Maryland Office of The Attorney General Press Release