A federal judge has sentenced a Maryland man to more than five years in prison for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme where doctors' identities were stolen to obtain narcotics illegally. 25-year-old Benjamin Jamal Washington of Hyattsville received a sentence of 65 months after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and aggravated identity theft.
According to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Washington's operation ran from September 2020 to May 2023 and involved the theft of personal identifying information from dozens of medical professionals. Washington and his accomplices used this data to create fake e-prescribing accounts to submit at least 5,600 fraudulent prescriptions, including those for oxycodone and promethazine with codeine, which they later sold for profit. The complex scheme also extended to SIM swaps facilitated by corrupt telephone company employees, enabling the group to gain control over physicians’ phone numbers and deepen the deception.
The investigation uncovered that Washington had illegally obtained drivers' licenses and carried out SIM swaps to impersonate the doctors. The U.S. District Judge Wesley L. Hsu presided over the case where Washington faced justice for his criminal enterprise, bringing an end to a scheme that posed a significant threat to public health and the integrity of the medical profession.
Along with the narcotics scheme, Washington also admitted to mail theft and possession of an unlawful U.S. Postal Service master key, for which his case was transferred from the District of Maryland to the Central District of California. Micah Robert Lee, 26, of Washington, D.C., a fellow participant in the fraudulent prescription plot, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is due for sentencing on April 17.
The FBI and DEA were instrumental in the investigation that led to Washington’s sentencing, with Assistant United States Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello, Elizabeth S.P. Douglas, and Matthew J. Tako prosecuting the case. Washington's conviction underscores the government's commitment to combatting prescription drug fraud and holding individuals accountable for contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis.
