Lucchese soldier pleads guilty to oxycodone charges

[Wiseguy]

Not sure when Grado and Transese were charged, as this is the first I've heard of the case. Seems to be a recent thing though.



Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 5, 2018

Luchese Crime Family Soldier and Organized Crime Associate Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Illegally Distribute Oxycodone

Defendants Threatened a Brooklyn Doctor and Obtained Fraudulent Prescriptions for More Than 230,000 Oxycodone Pills

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Anthony Grado, a member of the Luchese organized crime family, and Lawrence Tranese, an organized crime associate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. The proceeding was before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty pleas.

“Luchese family member Grado imperiled our community, threatening a doctor to force him to write prescriptions for oxycodone and then trafficking in the addictive drugs,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Violent threats to a doctor by Mafia defendants, combined with their trafficking of oxycodone pills, posed an especially serious danger to our community. As demonstrated by today’s guilty pleas, this Office together with our law enforcement partners will be relentless in the prosecution of organized crime and those who contribute to the opioid epidemic.”

“Organized crime groups and other criminal entities are seizing on the outbreak of addiction plaguing our country to make money,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “It shouldn’t be a shock that members of the Luchese crime family used violence to force a member of the medical community to further their criminal enterprise. The FBI Joint Organized Crime Task Force is committed to aggressively pursuing these groups to stop them from further contributing to the deadly opioid epidemic affecting our country.”

According to court documents and statements at the plea proceedings, Grado and Tranese conspired with others to distribute oxycodone that they obtained through fraudulent prescriptions written on a Brooklyn-based doctor’s prescription pad. Grado, a Luchese family member, together with Tranese and their coconspirators provided the doctor with the names of people for whom the doctor should write prescriptions. The doctor then wrote prescriptions in those names for medications containing oxycodone, usually without conducting any examination. Grado, Tranese and their coconspirators filled the prescriptions and sold the pills. At other times, Grado held the doctor’s prescription pads himself and either had the doctor write the fraudulent prescriptions at his direction, or completed the prescriptions and later advised the doctor of the details.

Members of the conspiracy used violence and threats of violence to seize control of the doctor’s prescription pads. For example, in one recorded conversation, Grado told the doctor that he would make the doctor write “a thousand scripts a day and [expletive] feed you to the [expletive] lions” if the doctor wrote prescriptions without Grado’s approval. In the same conversation, Grado also told the doctor that if the doctor’s newly ordered prescription pads “go in anybody’s hands,” besides Grado’s, “I’ll put a bullet right in your head.” During the course of the conspiracy, Grado also ordered one of his associates to stab the doctor, and the associate carried out the order. Finally, Grado called upon a higher-ranking member of the Luchese crime family to attend a “sit down,” or meeting, to resolve issues related to the pill distribution scheme.

When sentenced, the defendants each face up to 20 years in prison, as well as forfeiture and a fine of up to $1 million.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Mathew S. Miller and Matthew J. Jacobs are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

ANTHONY GRADO
Age: 54
Monroe Township, New Jersey

LAWRENCE TRANESE
Age: 55
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-559 (S-1)

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/lu ... conspiring

[Wiseguy]

Mob threatened doctor to write scripts for 230K Oxycodone pills: feds
By Jennifer Bain, New York Post
April 5, 2018


A Brooklyn doctor was strong-armed by a couple of wiseguys into writing prescriptions for more than 230,000 Oxycodone pills that were then trafficked by members of the Lucchese crime family, according to the Brooklyn US Attorney’s office.

Anthony Grado, 54, a solider for the family, was recorded telling the hapless doctor that he would feed him “to the [expletive] lions” if he wrote prescriptions without the mob’s permission, US Attorney Richard Donoghue’s office said Thursday.

Grado, Lawrence Tranese, 55, a mob associate, and others used both such threats and actual violence to have the doctor write the bogus scripts — and at one point the doctor was stabbed by a Lucchese associate on Grado’s orders, according to officials.

Grado and Tranese — who both pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone in Brooklyn federal court — along with other gangsters filled the prescriptions themselves and hawked the pills, the US Attorney’s office said.

Grado was also recorded saying that if the doctor’s newly ordered prescription pads “go in anybody’s hands” besides his, “I’ll put a bullet right in your head.”

“Lucchese family member Grado imperiled our community, threatening a doctor to force him to write prescriptions for oxycodone and then trafficking in the addictive drugs,” stated Donoghue.

“Violent threats to a doctor by Mafia defendants, combined with their trafficking of oxycodone pills, posed an especially serious danger to our community.”

“Organized crime groups and other criminal entities are seizing on the outbreak of addiction plaguing our country to make money,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “It shouldn’t be a shock that members of the Lucchese crime family used violence to force a member of the medical community to further their criminal enterprise.”

The defendants face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million when sentenced.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com ... -feds/amp/

[chubby]

Hahaha this is great. Literally taking full control of the doc and his script pad. They had to of had something on this doctor for this to work. A debt or something. If you tried this shit with a regular doc they would call the fuxking dea the second you walked out. Then you would go to fill it at the pharmacy and they would tell you ya just sit right there it will be ready in 15 mins. And 15 mins later the fucking Feds would swarm the pharmacy and arrest your Ass.
I'm interested in how much time these guys get.

[yatescj7781]

Hahaha this is great. Literally taking full control of the doc and his script pad. They had to of had something on this doctor for this to work. A debt or something. If you tried this shit with a regular doc they would call the fuxking dea the second you walked out. Then you would go to fill it at the pharmacy and they would tell you ya just sit right there it will be ready in 15 mins. And 15 mins later the fucking Feds would swarm the pharmacy and arrest your Ass.
I'm interested in how much time these guys get.

Agree 100%. Never would work with a doctor on the up and up. Doctor had to be in debt or they had dirt on him. My Dr from years ago used to trade sex for scripts with good looking women.

[chubby]

Hahaha this is great. Literally taking full control of the doc and his script pad. They had to of had something on this doctor for this to work. A debt or something. If you tried this shit with a regular doc they would call the fuxking dea the second you walked out. Then you would go to fill it at the pharmacy and they would tell you ya just sit right there it will be ready in 15 mins. And 15 mins later the fucking Feds would swarm the pharmacy and arrest your Ass.
I'm interested in how much time these guys get.

Agree 100%. Never would work with a doctor on the up and up. Doctor had to be in debt or they had dirt on him. My Dr from years ago used to trade sex for scripts with good looking women.

Yeah they for sure had something to press him.. funny about the sex for scripts. My friends only Doctor about 5 years ago wrote the most insane bulk of narcotics no one ever believed me until I proved it to them and showed them hard evidence. Long story short he was also trading scripts for blowjobs and shit in his office... then guess what. He got raided by the dea. Same story, same ending.

I've realized these days after years of crazy scrutiny on narcotic scripts and crazy crackdowns... that your best shot to get stuff and stay off the radar is to somehow find a doctor that is not a pain management/pain specialist... they are under the microscope from the dea super heavy.. and they require drug tests and intensive medical records. Plus all they want to do is give you a fucking bullshit injection and bill your insurance thousands of dollars and not write you good scripts. Pain management places also all want you to have good insurance.
I got lucky from knowing the right people. I got into a doc that's a rhuemetologist and I had 0 medical records and 0 script history. Never been prescribed anything besides 15 7.5/325 hydrocodone from a dentist... and I was in my 20's at the time.. that list of things alone make it nearly an impossibility to get anything crazy... well it's over 2 years and counting and I get 180 30mg oxycodone every 28 days....

[willychichi]

"Grado, a Luchese family member, together with Tranese and their coconspirator"

I wonder who the co-conspirator is and it seems odd to me that initial arrest was not publicized?

[Chucky]

230k oxy pills is a nice score for this Grado, gotta imagine this doctor owed serious money.

[Ivan]

230k oxy pills is a nice score for this Grado, gotta imagine this doctor owed serious money.

Wouldn't all those combined go for about 10 million or so on the street? Something like that.

[chubby]

230k oxy pills is a nice score for this Grado, gotta imagine this doctor owed serious money.

Wouldn't all those combined go for about 10 million or so on the street? Something like that.

In all honestly if he had that quantity... I really double he was selling 5 here 10 there for 20$-30$ per pill depending on who you are...if he took his time and dimed them at at the full street value that would make those pills worth over 5mil... especially since scripts cost nothing. Think about it. Even if you have 0 insurance. You pay the doctor visit in cash which is usually $100-200$. Then depending on the quantity the price will vary on how much it costs. For 180 of them with no insurance from a big names brand spot like cvs or Walgreens you're looking at spending around 120$ to fill. So let's say you're 300$ in he hole after the doctor and pharmacy expenses...and that's with no insurance, if you have top grade insurance you literally pay 0 for the visit and the fill at the pharmacy is like 3$. if you turn around and flip those 180 for even 20$ you're profiting $3300 off 1 script of 180. Which makes me think since they are squeezing this doctor they were probably fucking getting like 5 scripts everyday in different friends of families names so it could be filled and probsbly gave them a little kick back few hundred bucks or 20 free pills and they got the lion share. I bet that's basically how they are doing it. Cause the only reason you would start wholesaling those pills in big bulk, 1k or over. For around 10$-13$ is if you had somehow and endless supply of them... way more profitable thought to just off each script of 100 or 200 all at once for a decent price like 15-17& per.

I give this guy some credit atleast he finenessed a way to actually require authentic 30mg oxycodone and he seemed to make some ok money. Hell of a lot better of an operation that Joey electric and Michael gallicho pressing complete bullshit fakes.

[chubby]

230k oxy pills is a nice score for this Grado, gotta imagine this doctor owed serious money.

Wouldn't all those combined go for about 10 million or so on the street? Something like that.

Like I said it depends If the 230k were acquired all at one time and sold all as 1 bulk purchase. If that was the case than the 230k would realistically be worth 1.5mil to 3 mil... but if the 230k were acquired over like a 2 year period than they were probsbly selling a couple hundred a time several times a month. Which in total would make the 230k be worth anywhere from 4.6 mil to 6.9 mil on the street. -and these are true numbers, not some 100x inflated dea shit

[Ivan]

230k oxy pills is a nice score for this Grado, gotta imagine this doctor owed serious money.

Wouldn't all those combined go for about 10 million or so on the street? Something like that.

Like I said it depends If the 230k were acquired all at one time and sold all as 1 bulk purchase. If that was the case than the 230k would realistically be worth 1.5mil to 3 mil... but if the 230k were acquired over like a 2 year period than they were probsbly selling a couple hundred a time several times a month. Which in total would make the 230k be worth anywhere from 4.6 mil to 6.9 mil on the street. -and these are true numbers, not some 100x inflated dea shit

Thanks for this post and the other one. I was thinking in terms of the crazy prices some of my acquaintances mentioned paying - like $40+ for just one blue.

And you're right, this is actually a pretty impressive racket. It makes the Servidio one look beyond pathetic. (I don't approve of that fentanyl bullshit, lol.)

[chubby]

230k oxy pills is a nice score for this Grado, gotta imagine this doctor owed serious money.

Wouldn't all those combined go for about 10 million or so on the street? Something like that.

Like I said it depends If the 230k were acquired all at one time and sold all as 1 bulk purchase. If that was the case than the 230k would realistically be worth 1.5mil to 3 mil... but if the 230k were acquired over like a 2 year period than they were probsbly selling a couple hundred a time several times a month. Which in total would make the 230k be worth anywhere from 4.6 mil to 6.9 mil on the street. -and these are true numbers, not some 100x inflated dea shit

Thanks for this post and the other one. I was thinking in terms of the crazy prices some of my acquaintances mentioned paying - like $40+ for just one blue.

And you're right, this is actually a pretty impressive racket. It makes the Servidio one look beyond pathetic. (I don't approve of that fentanyl bullshit, lol.)

No problem man. You got any questions don't hesitate to ask. For real you hear people you know talking about paying 40$ for a blue? Where the hell do you live? I need to know. That's insane

[Ivan]

No problem man. You got any questions don't hesitate to ask. For real you hear people you know talking about paying 40$ for a blue? Where the hell do you live? I need to know. That's insane

That was in Columbus, Ohio a few years ago. They were WAY cheaper in Las Vegas (I got five real ones for twenty bucks once there, haha - thought that was a real bargain).

It might be bullshit, it was just the price I overheard a couple of my junkie friends whine about. With those guys, they might have been exaggerating to get sympathy. Wouldn't surprise me.

[chubby]

Ha I mean I believe it though. Especially if you're dealing with people who have more money than they know what to do with and they're just complete degenerates all the way around. Womanizers, gamblers, and pill slayers. That fits the mold of someone paying that much.

Not gonna lie a friend of mine was getting rid of 4-600 blues every week to 1 guy for 30$ a pop... he would buy like 200$ at a time. And it was a trip his family owned a really successful pipe/plumbing company... and everytome he would buy he would bring an envelope with the most brand new crisp new blue strip 100$ bills I've ever seen in my life. It looked like they were literally straight taken off a pallet from the federal reserve. And the numbers on the bills would always be in order it was a trip.

[chubby]

I meant 200 pills at a time now 200$ worth