A sweeping indictment has brought charges against thirteen individuals accused of conspiring to distribute the prescription drug oxycodone, with some members allegedly participating in an interstate drug trafficking operation, as announced by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. In the statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office detailed that the two indictments implicate twelve western Pennsylvania residents and one Indiana resident, Dr. Martin J. Maassen, spanning a scheme that operated from January 2019 to July 2024.
The comprehensive investigation, which alleges years-long illegal activity, resulted in a one-count indictment and a more complex 22-count indictment. The first names six individuals from western Pennsylvania, and the second details additional accusations against Maassen for the unlawful distribution of another controlled substance, Adderall. For Maassen, the ramifications could be severe, with the charges carrying a possible 20-year sentence for each count of controlled substance distribution as well as up to a $1 million fine.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office official release, Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Philadelphia Field Division, emphasized the egregiousness of a medical professional like Maassen being implicated, stating, “Doctors such as Maassen have a legal and moral obligation to prescribe these drugs for legitimate medical purposes and within the usual course of professional practice; Maassen allegedly did neither.” Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney will prosecute the case, highlighting the darker intersection of medicine and criminal enterprise.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the DEA and local police, worked together to bring these indictments, aiming to tackle the opioid crisis and shut down drug trafficking networks. Through the OCDETF program, agencies share resources and intelligence to fight major drug crimes, showing a strong federal and local commitment to justice—whether on the streets or in medical settings.
