Urologist Prescribed Opioids In Suffolk Using Reality Show Names: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A urologist and his wife were indicted after they were accused of prescribing and filling prescriptions for opioids throughout Suffolk County using the names of cast members of a reality show, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Thursday.

Francis Martinis, 55, and Jessica Martinis, 38, of Fort Salonga, were charged with criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner and first-degree falsifying business records, the DA said.

"Doctors are supposed to be trusted members of the community and with that trust comes a tremendous amount of personal and professional responsibility," Tierney said in a news release. "Physicians are held to a high standard, as they take an oath to uphold a number of professional ethical standards when they begin their careers. The conduct Dr. Martinis allegedly engaged in with his wife not only violated this oath, but it also violated the law."

Peter Crusco, the Martinis' lawyer, did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

Jessica raised "red flags" in January, investigators said, when she tried to fill a hand-written prescription for oxycodone issued by her husband, Francis, at a pharmacy in Kings Park. The prescription was "unusual," prosecutors said, as most prescriptions are transmitted electronically from a doctor directly to a pharmacy.

Jessica was not the patient listed on the prescription, the DA said. The pharmacist ultimately
refused to fill the prescription and called the Suffolk County Police Department, authorities said.

Francis's most recent history of issuing prescriptions was then investigated by Suffolk police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad, and Homeland Security, officials said.

Francis Martinis electronically transmitted numerous prescriptions for oxycodone to pharmacies within Suffolk County, investigators said.

The patients named on the prescriptions were former cast members on the Bravo reality television series "Below Deck," none of whom lived on Long Island, authorities said. Francis and Jessica Martinis had previously appeared on the series, the DA said.

Once transmitted to the pharmacies, Jessica picked up and paid for the prescriptions with cash, prosecutors said. The prescriptions were never intended for or received by the patients named on the prescriptions, officials said.

"The DEA is rooted in an 'all hands-on deck' approach to save lives from illegal drug misuse and abuse through enforcement, education, and prevention," Frank Tarentino, U.S. DEA special agent in charge, said. "By working with our law enforcement partners and the community, we identified two individuals who brazenly diverted controlled substances intended for medicinal purposes to the illegal drug market. These arrests are a reminder that a doctor's illicit drug diversion can lead to irreparable harm like the drug overdoses and poisonings currently plaguing our nation."

Francis and Jessica Martinis were arraigned Thursday on four counts of criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner (class C felonies) and four counts of first-degree falsifying business records (class E felonies).

The Martinis were each ordered to be placed on supervised release while their cases pend. They are due back in court on Jan. 25.