Attorney General Pam Bondi will kick off the 2017 Law Enforcement Torch Run, benefitting Special Olympics Florida, Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. in Tallahassee.
WHO: Attorney General Pam Bondi, State Director of the Law Enforcement Torch Run Dave Sklarek, Florida Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil and Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo
WHAT: Law Enforcement Torch Run
WHEN: Thursday, April 13, 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Florida Capitol Courtyard
The Capitol
Tallahassee, Fla.
The run will begin at 10:15 a.m. in the parking lot of the Lake Ella Plaza, 1700 N. Monroe St, Tallahassee, Fla. 32303.
Attorney General Pam Bondi
Attorney General Bondi announces efforts to fight opioid crisis
Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced continued efforts in the fight against opioid abuse. Joined by Governor Rick Scott, law enforcement and first responders, Attorney General Bondi announced an agreement to lower the cost of life-saving medicine to treat overdose victims and highlighted legislation to further the fight against opioid abuse.
“With today’s agreement, those who are on the front line of the opioid epidemic will have easier access to medicine to save lives that may otherwise be lost to drug overdose,” said Attorney General Bondi. “From lawmakers to law enforcement and paramedics to doctors, we must continue to work together to tackle this epidemic that is claiming lives every day. I want to thank Adapt Pharma and Amphastar for helping us save lives.”
Governor Scott said, “Growing up, substance abuse was something that impacted my own family and I know firsthand what a heartbreaking burden this can be on families who have to deal with this. One death caused by substance abuse is one too many, and today I have directed the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to travel the state and hear directly from communities on what resources they need to help with this growing problem. Opioid abuse is happening across our nation and it is crucial that we hear what our local communities are doing to fight the rising use of opioids and how we as the state can continue to help. I look forward to continuing to work with Attorney General Bondi and our federal, state and local partners to ensure our communities have the resources they need in their fight against opioid use.”
Starting today, Adapt Pharma and Amphastar will offer Narcan and Naloxone at a discounted rate when bought in bulk by police, first responders, governmental entities and community-based organizations in Florida.
Attorney General Bondi is also supporting legislation this session that will help better equip law enforcement, prosecutors and the state with new tools to further address the opioid crisis. HB 477 will add Fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs to Florida’s drug trafficking statute, giving state prosecutors the ability to seek stronger sentences against drug traffickers selling these deadly drugs in Florida.
Additionally, Attorney General Bondi is supporting legislation to address issues with sober homes. HB 807 and SB 788 will create a certification program for sober homes and expands the authority of the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution to prosecute patient brokering offenses.
Since 2014, working with local, state and federal law enforcement, the Office of Statewide Prosecution has charged 148 people with heroin trafficking related charges. Attorney General Bondi will continue efforts with state and local law enforcement partners and looks forward to participating in the statewide workshops with the Governor’s office and state agency representatives to explore and identify additional strategies to address this opioid crisis.
Attorney General Bondi and Governor Scott to hold news conference on opioid epidemic
MEDIA ADVISORY
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Governor Rick Scott will hold a joint news conference today about Florida’s opioid epidemic at 4:00 p.m. in the state Capitol in front of the Attorney General’s Office.
WHO: Attorney General Bondi, Governor Scott and law enforcement
WHAT: News Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, April 11, 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Florida Attorney General’s Office
The Capitol, PL-01
Tallahassee, Fla.
Two more arrested in Medicaid fraud scheme
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office today announced the arrests of Danielle Richardson, 42, and Vickram Thakur, 50, in connection to a Medicaid fraud scheme. Richardson and Thakur are former employees of DS Connections, Inc., a targeted case management company headquartered in Winter Park, with offices in Clermont and Tallahassee. These two arrests are the ninth and tenth arrests of former DS Connections employees since January 2015 for Medicaid fraud.
According to the MFCU investigation, Richardson and Thakur caused thousands of dollars in unauthorized targeted case management services to be billed to the state’s Medicaid program.
Thakur is charged with one count of scheme to defraud less than $20,000. If convicted, Thakur faces up to five years in prison and $15,000 in fines and restitution. Richardson is charged with 10 counts of grand theft. If convicted, Richardson faces up to a hundred years in prison and $75,000 in fines and restitution.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute this case through an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida. The MFCU investigation is ongoing and more arrests are probable.
For more information about the previous arrests, click here, here and here.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From Jan. 2011 to the present, Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU has obtained more than $689 million in settlements and judgments. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.
Attorney General Bondi Honors Victim Advocates
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Governor Rick Scott today awarded first responders and victim advocates for exceptional efforts in protecting and counseling victims. Attorney General Bondi presented the awards at an annual ceremony commemorating National Crime Victims’ Rights Week at the state Capitol. This year’s theme, Strength, Resilience, and Justice, highlights the importance of forging healthy, sustainable communities to build capacity both before and in the aftermath of crime.
“I am thankful for all who dedicate their lives to serving victims of crime, including those who rushed to the scene of tragedy following the Pulse nightclub attack—we honored some of those individuals today for their work helping victims and their families in the aftermath of the attack,” said Attorney General Bondi. “All our award recipients are exceptional and play a vital role in helping victims heal and I am eternally grateful for their service.”
The award recipients honored today are the following:
- Jeri Eubanks, victim advocate with the State Attorney’s Office in the Seventh Judicial Circuit;
- Stephanie Marino with Christ Church of Orlando;
- Joel Morales, victim service advocate with the Orlando United Assistance Center;
- Detective Yulieth Ortiz with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office;
- Detective Ross Partee with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office;
- Leidy Patino, Senior Legal Assistant with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; and
- Officer David Starke with the Ormond Beach Police Department.
The Florida Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights states, “Victims of crime or their lawful representatives, including the next of kin of homicide victims, are entitled to the right to be informed, to be present, and to be heard when relevant, at all crucial stages of criminal proceedings, to the extent that these rights do not interfere with the constitutional rights of the accused.”
To watch the full ceremony on The Florida Channel, click here.
For more information on crime victim services offered by the Florida Attorney General’s Office, click here.
For more information on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, click here.
Attorney General Bondi to Hold Crime Victims’ Rights Ceremony
MEDIA ADVISORY
Attorney General Pam Bondi will hold a National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. in Tallahassee. Governor Rick Scott will join Attorney General Bondi to recognize outstanding individuals who have assisted crime victims.
WHO: Attorney General Bondi, Governor Scott, law enforcement officers and victim advocates from across the state
WHAT: National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony
WHEN: Wednesday, April 5, 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Cabinet Meeting Room
The Capitol, LL-03
Tallahassee, Fla.
The ceremony will be carried live on TheFloridaChannel.org.
Florida Couple Arrested in Drug Diversion Scheme
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today announced the arrest of a Naples couple in connection with a drug diversion scheme fueled by Medicaid fraud. According to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and FDLE investigation, Francisco Calderon, 53, and his wife Zulima Calderon, 51, trafficked more than $3.9 million of contraband prescription drugs between 2005 and 2013.
“This massive scheme to sell millions of dollars’ worth of contraband prescription drugs and exploit our Medicaid program has been shut down thanks to the great work of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, my Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement,” said Attorney General Bondi.
“Medicaid fraud cases are complex and time consuming and I appreciate the hard work of the investigators on this case,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. “The Calderon’s not only stole money from taxpayers, they are also responsible for tens of thousands of illegal prescription drugs flooding the streets in the Southeastern United States.”
The Calderons did not have a license to engage in wholesaling pharmaceuticals and allegedly used their Florida-based corporation, All Technician Specialty, Inc. to launder money from the sales of contraband pharmaceuticals to a previously charged co-defendant Jorge Castillo. In 2013, authorities arrested Castillo for involvement in the scheme and Castillo is now serving 25 years in prison. For more information on Castillo’s sentencing, click here.
According to the investigation, the couple used illegal profits to purchase homes in Naples and Miramar for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. At the time of the arrests, Attorney General Bondi’s Office seized the Miramar property pursuant to Florida’s civil racketeering laws.
Francisco and Zulima Calderon each face one count of trafficking in contraband prescription drugs, Medicaid fraud, organized scheme to defraud and money laundering, all first-degree felonies. Each count is punishable up to 30 years in prison. Attorney General Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is prosecuting the case.
The Calderons are the 37th and 38th persons charged or convicted since 2010 by the Attorney General’s task force targeting Medicaid-related drug diversion. Since 2010, the task force has seized close to $10 million in cash and property and more than $7 million of contraband pharmaceuticals off the streets. Additionally, task force investigators assisted law enforcement efforts in similar cases in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. The combined amount of fraud perpetrated by these individuals in Florida is estimated to be more than $250 million.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From Jan. 2011 to the present, Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU has obtained more than $689 million in settlements and judgments. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.
ICYMI: News Talk Florida: Bondi to serve on new Trump lead Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission
Pam Bondi: “I want to thank the President of the United States, Governor Christie and many others for caring about this deadly epidemic.”
News Talk Florida
James Williams
March 29, 2017
Bondi will serve on the new Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission to be chaired by Gov. Chris Christie
While in Washington to moderate women’s empowerment panel at the White House, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was named to a group who will take the lead on combatting drug abuse. The new group is called the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. It is a new group that was put together and will be overseen by President Donald Trump.
The commission will be chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and today at the White House Bondi had some early conversations about her duties when she sat with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, VA Secretary David Shulkin, Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, Stephen Miller, Omarosa Manigault, and other administration officials.
To read the full article, click here.
Attorney General Bondi Appointed to President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission
Attorney General Pam Bondi is honored to be appointed to President Donald J. Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. As a member of the commission, Attorney General Bondi will work alongside national leaders in the opioid fight on drug prevention, interdiction and treatment strategies. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will chair the commission.
“I am honored to work alongside President Trump, Governor Christie and others to combat the national opioid crisis that is claiming thousands of American lives every year,” said Attorney General Bondi. “For more than two decades, first as a state prosecutor and now as Florida’s attorney general, I have fought drug abuse at the local and state level—with this appointment I will work with national leaders in this vital fight.”
In 2011, when Attorney General Bondi took office, seven Floridians were dying every day from prescription drug abuse, 98 of the top 100 oxycodone dispensers lived in Florida, and Florida was known as the Pill Mill Capital of the Country. Working with law enforcement and lawmakers, Attorney General Bondi took quick action to shut down pill mills and save lives. Today none of the top oxycodone dispensers live in Florida.
In 2012, Attorney General Bondi chaired the Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborn Task Force to raise awareness, improve reporting and identify policy recommendations regarding Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. NAS effects babies born drug exposed. The task force finished ahead of schedule with recommendations to raise awareness, increase reporting and improve treatment. The task force also worked with the legislature to secure millions of recurring dollars to treat expectant mothers addicted to drugs.
Since taking office, Attorney General Bondi has issued executive orders and worked with lawmakers to ban 136 of the most common chemical compounds used to produce deadly synthetic drugs. In 2016, Attorney General Bondi helped pass sweeping legislation to dramatically improve control over synthetic drugs.
For the 2017 legislative session, Attorney General Bondi is supporting legislation to add Fentanyl to Florida’s drug trafficking statute. Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic substance 50 times more powerful than heroin. Drug dealers commonly mix Fentanyl with other substances and sell it as heroin or a prescription painkiller—all too often resulting in drug abusers suffering fatal overdoses.
As a career prosecutor, Attorney General Bondi has fought drug abuse for two decades. She is currently the Co-Chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Substance Abuse Committee. The appointment to the President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission will allow her to work with other national leaders on drug prevention, interdiction, treatment and recovery strategies.
Attorney General Bondi Joins President Trump and Governor Christie for Announcement about National Opioid Epidemic
Attorney General Pam Bondi is joining President Donald J. Trump and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the White House for an announcement regarding the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic.
“I am honored to be appointed to the President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. Thousands of Americans each year die from drug overdoses. I want to thank the President of the United States, Governor Christie and many others for caring about this deadly epidemic,” said Attorney General Bondi.
