Current:Home > FinanceNew York doctor, wife who appeared on "Below Deck" charged with fake opioid prescription scheme -ValueMetric
New York doctor, wife who appeared on "Below Deck" charged with fake opioid prescription scheme
View
Date:2025-04-17 19:12:50
NEW YORK — A doctor and his wife who appeared on the Bravo reality series "Below Deck" were arraigned in New York on Thursday on charges that they filled out bogus opioid prescriptions using the names of cast members from the show.
Urologist Francis Martinis and his wife, Jessica Martinis, of Fort Salonga, New York, were each charged with criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner and falsifying business records.
They appeared in state court in Riverhead on Long Island after first being arrested in May. Both pleaded not guilty, according to their attorney. The couple were released without bail and are due back in court Jan. 25.
"Below Deck," which premiered on Bravo in 2013, follows crew members and the passengers they cater to aboard a luxury yacht.
The Martinises appeared on the spinoff "Below Deck Mediterranean" in 2019. Francis Martinis also appeared on "Below Deck Sailing Yacht" the following year.
The couple's attorney, Peter Crusco, called the charges bogus.
"My clients have pled not guilty and are presumed innocent, and look forward to their day in court to clear their names," Crusco said in a text message.
Prosecutors said Francis Martinis, 55, transmitted prescriptions for oxycodone to Long Island pharmacies with the names of "Below Deck" cast members listed as the purported patients. Jessica Martinis, 38, then picked up the drugs and paid in cash, prosecutors said.
Jessica Martinis first raised red flags in January 2023 when she tried to fill a handwritten prescription for oxycodone in someone else's name, prosecutors said.
An investigation turned up evidence of numerous fake oxycodone prescriptions that Francis Martinis had written with the names of cast members from the reality show, authorities said.
None of the oxycodone was actually intended for the people named in the prescriptions, prosecutors said.
"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," Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. "The conduct Dr. Martinis allegedly engaged in with his wife not only violated this oath, but it also violated the law."
Frank Tarentino, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency's special agent in charge for New York, said, "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."
A representative for NBCUniversal, Bravo's parent company, declined to comment.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- North Carolina appeals court blocks use of university’s digital ID for voting
- A man trying to cremate his dog sparked a wildfire in Colorado, authorities say
- 'Still floating': Florida boaters ride out Hurricane Helene
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- Fifth Harmony Alums Camila Cabello & Normani Reunite for First Time in 6 Years at Paris Fashion Week
- 'Mighty strange': Tiny stretch of Florida coast hit with 3 hurricanes in 13 months
- Upset alert for Notre Dame, Texas A&M? Bold predictions for Week 5 in college football
- Meet 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest Olympian competing in Paris
- New Orleans, US Justice Department move to end police department’s consent decree
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- A TV reporter was doing a live hurricane report when he rescued a woman from a submerged car
- Kentucky sues Express Scripts, alleging it had a role in the deadly opioid addiction crisis
- A's leave Oakland a winner. They also leave plenty of tears and 57 years of memories.
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Wisconsin city’s mailing of duplicate absentee ballots raises confusion, questions over elections
- Here's how Lionel Messi, Inter Miami can win second title together as early as Wednesday
- Arkansas couple stunned when their black Nikes show up as Kendrick Lamar cover art
Recommendation
RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
Ellen DeGeneres Shares Osteoporosis, OCD and ADHD Diagnoses
Chappell Roan Cancels Festival Appearances to Prioritize Her Health
How Steamy Lit Bookstore champions romance reads and love in all its forms
Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
Latest talks between Boeing and its striking machinists break off without progress, union says
Federal judge dismisses a challenge to Tennessee’s school bathroom law
Anthropologie’s Extra 50% off Sale Includes Stylish Dresses, Tops & More – Starting at $9, Save Up to 71%