Kelo White, a 44-year-old resident of Fresno, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for his role in the illegal distribution of oxycodone and hydrocodone pills. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez.
Court documents indicate that between 2014 and 2018, White conspired with Donald Ray Pierre and pharmacist Ifeanyi Vincent Ntukogu to obtain more than 450,000 opioid pills using fraudulent prescriptions. Of these, White was responsible for over 250,000 pills. The prescriptions were forged using signatures from more than ten different doctors.
Ntukogu reviewed each prescription before filling it to avoid raising suspicion from government regulators. He would reject prescriptions he believed might be flagged by authorities, such as those supposedly written by certain doctors or for individuals already obtaining prescriptions from other pharmacies. Payment to Ntukogu was made in cash, after which White and Pierre sold the pills for profit.
In previous related cases, Ntukogu received a sentence of seven years and three months on November 25, 2024, while Pierre was sentenced to nine years and four months on July 21, 2020.
The investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the California Department of Health Care Services. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Pataca and Joseph Barton.
“This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the California Department of Health Care Services,” according to the press release.
The prosecution took place under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which aims to disrupt high-level criminal organizations through coordinated efforts across agencies. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
Additionally, this case falls under Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), a DOJ initiative focused on reducing synthetic opioid supply in areas heavily impacted by drug distribution networks and suppliers both domestic and international.
