ROANOKE, VA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Virginia, Western), published as received.
ROANOKE, Va. – Four Maryland residents who conspired with Dr. Rotimi Iluyomade, an Annandale-based doctor convicted of distributing more than 7,000 oxycodone pills, 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution (also known as “Tussionex”), and 107,000 milliliters of promethazine-codeine solution (also known as “lean”) were sentenced today in federal court.
Yared Michael Tesfaye, a.k.a. “Yar” 29, of Montgomery Village, Maryland, was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison.
Elhadj Malick Diallo, 32, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced to time served (approximately 13 months) in federal prison. Cameron Isaiah Lewis, 24, and Raymono Alfonzo Russell II, 25, both of Bowie, Maryland, were sentenced to 8 months and 10 months respectively.
All four defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and to acquire promethazine-codeine solution by fraud.
“Any physician and anyone who conspires with a physician to facilitate the illegal distribution of drugs will be aggressively prosecuted in the Western District of Virginia,” First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I applaud the outstanding work of the FBI and the DEA in this case.”
“The defendants paid a doctor to issue fraudulent prescriptions for opioid medications and then trafficked those drugs to buyers across multiple states,” said Darren Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “We are grateful to our federal, state, and local partners for their help in ensuring these defendants are held accountable for profiting from the illegal distribution of controlled substances.”
“Patient care is a privilege. Patient safety is a responsibility. When responsibility is betrayed through the unlawful prescribing of controlled substances, DEA and other law enforcement partners will act decisively and with one purpose: protecting American lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Washington Division.
According to court documents, in at least 2023 and 2024, Iluyomade and the co-conspirators entered into an agreement to distribute oxycodone pills, promethazine-codeine solution, and Tussionex to pharmacies in multiple states, including California, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, West Virginia, and in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. At least 70 of the illegal controlled substance prescriptions were transmitted to and/or filled at pharmacies in the Western District of Virginia.
As part of the conspiracy, multiple individuals visited Iluyomade’s medical clinic to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. The individuals provided Iluyomade with lists of multiple “patients” addresses and identify information or different variations of names and false addresses, and requested prescriptions be sent to pharmacies throughout the United States for the “patients” on the lists.
Tesfaye was the first co-conspirator to visit Iluyomade at Crossover Medical Center in Annandale, Virginia to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. In addition to obtaining his own fraudulent prescriptions, he sold “slots” with Iluyomade to other co-conspirators that they used to obtain fraudulent prescriptions.
Lewis and Diallo traveled to various pharmacies to pick up fraudulent prescriptions written by Iluyomade, which they then distributed for profit, often posting pictures on social media to facilitate drug sales. Lewis and Diallo paid Iluyomade $300 per fraudulent prescription.
The investigation began on September 2, 2023, when Russell attempted to pick up a fraudulent prescription transmitted by Iluyomade at a pharmacy in Honaker, Virginia. Russell was arrested and a search of his vehicle revealed multiple controlled substance prescription bottles in various “patient” names, all from Iluyomade, filled at pharmacies in Roanoke, Radford, Tazewell, and Floyd, Virginia.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury, Maryland Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Police, HHS-OIG, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena Busscher and Randy Ramseyer are prosecuting the case.
