A San Fernando Valley pharmacist who used forged prescriptions to illegally sell narcotics, including opioids, to phony “patients” has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, the Justice Department announced today.
Gevork Danielian, 41, of Granada Hills, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who also ordered him to pay a $100,000 fine.
Danielian pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of conspiracy to distributed controlled substances.
From December 2014 to July 2020, Danielian owned and operated the Winnetka-based A&G Vitalife Inc., which did business as A&G Care Pharmacy at 7235 Corbin Ave, Winnetka California, where he worked as the pharmacist-in-charge.
From April 2018 to December 2018, Danielian conspired with others to unlawfully sell narcotics, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, methamphetamine salts, and alprazolam, an anxiety medication sold under the brand name Xanax.
A co-conspirator would obtain blank prescription papers, Danielian would then provide – usually by text message – the names and dates of birth of individuals to be falsely identified as patients, which the co-conspirator would then use to fill in the falsified prescriptions.
The co-conspirator would bring the falsified prescriptions to Danielian, bearing the forged signatures of real physicians. Danielian would “fill” the prescriptions in exchange for money despite knowing the narcotics were not going to be used for a legitimate medical purpose, but rather were going to be illicitly sold by his co-conspirator.
Danielian filled prescriptions for hundreds of pills of opioids and other narcotics during the conspiracy.
For example, on October 29, 2018, Danielian filled prescriptions for approximately 120 pills of 30-milligram strength oxycodone each for two fictitious patients, using a forged prescription falsely purporting to have been written by a physician.
In November 2020, the California State Board of Pharmacy placed Danielian on probation for four years and discontinued his business after he was accused of record-keeping deficiencies and dispensing narcotics authorized by fraudulent prescriptions.
According to the Accusation made by the State Board of Pharmacy, “During the course of the investigation into A&G and Danielian, an investigator found A&G and Danielian failed to maintain records of acquisition and disposition of dangerous drugs; dispensed erroneous prescriptions; failed to complete a required pharmacy self-assessment, failed to comply with reporting requirements to the Department of Justice, and participated in unprofessional conduct.”
“Pharmacists, by training and education, should be gatekeepers to help prevent abuse, addiction, and overdose,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Danielian] flouted this responsibility and instead became an agent of addiction and abuse.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Jhai of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section prosecuted this case.