A Bethesda man who owned a pharmacy in Washington, D.C., has been indicted on federal charges alleging that he illegally shipped thousands of prescription drugs worth millions of dollars through his business.
Federal authorities announced Monday Titilayo “Tomi” Akinyoyenu, 47, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Nigeria, was arrested Friday at his Bethesda home and released on personal recognizance after a court appearance at U.S. District Court in Washington D.C.
Charging documents state Akinyoyenu filled more than 58,000 prescriptions, including refills, for people who ordered the drugs over the Internet after filling out an online medical questionnaire. The sales netted at least $8.3 million between June 2006 and June 2010.
Customers were able to order drugs ranging from painkillers to erectile dysfunction medication such as Cialis and Viagra from the website, according to the indictment. The transactions were illegal because no doctor-patient relationship existed between customers and physicians and there’s no verifiable evidence of the identity or illnesses allegedly suffered by the customers, according to the indictment.
Akinyoyenu, a licensed pharmacist, owned a website called apexonlinepharmacy.com to facilitate the sales, according to the indictment.
A Florida physician—Alan Saltzman, 65—is facing similar charges for his role in the scheme. Saltzman allegedly approved the prescriptions that were requested online for a fee per prescription.
Akinyoyenu’s pharmacy, Apex Care, was located at 4047 Minnesota Ave. in Northeast Washington, D.C. The pharmacist is scheduled to appear April 3 in federal court in the District.
