The Office of the Attorney General and Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that five individuals were charged in an 80-count indictment for their alleged participation in a statewide prescription drug theft scheme spanning 11 counties. The state grand jury returned an indictment against Divinete Jeffries, 30, of East Orange; Kevin Lucanto, 48, of Paterson; Akeem Adelekan, 28, of East Orange; Otto Lachenauer, 43, of Westfield; and Satia Salters, 25, of East Orange. The case is the result of an extensive investigation by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor — Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), in partnership with federal, state, and local authorities. The grand jury heard testimony that in 2022 and 2023, the defendants conspired in an elaborate scheme where Jeffries would allegedly burglarize medical offices and steal prescription pads from doctors. The stolen prescription pads would be used to forge prescriptions and were supplied to various pharmacies around the state. The prescriptions would be filled and issued to the defendants, who used stolen identities and fake manufactured drivers’ licenses to fraudulently obtain Promethazine with Codeine, a schedule V controlled dangerous substance (CDS), a cough syrup typically abused due to its opioid content.
