Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Leading Sophisticated Narcotics Fraud Scheme

Strategic Insights -

Benjamin Jamal Washington, a 25-year-old Maryland man, has pleaded guilty to leading a long-running scheme that involved stealing the personal identifying information of dozens of medical doctors and using it to create fraudulent e-prescribing accounts. Washington's accomplices then used these accounts to issue thousands of fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances, including oxycodone and promethazine with codeine, which they sold for profit. The scheme, which lasted from September 2020 to May 2023, involved Washington and his co-conspirators obtaining the personal information of doctors, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and DEA Registration Numbers. They then used this information to impersonate the doctors and obtain fraudulent drivers' licenses and access to the physicians' phone numbers. Washington's guilty plea includes charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Key Takeaways:

  • Benjamin Jamal Washington, a 25-year-old Maryland man, pleaded guilty to leading a long-running narcotics fraud scheme that involved stealing the personal identifying information of dozens of medical doctors.
  • Washington's accomplices used the fraudulent e-prescribing accounts to issue at least 5,600 fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances, including oxycodone and promethazine with codeine.
  • The scheme involved Washington and his co-conspirators obtaining personal identifying information (PII) from dozens of doctors, including names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, National Provider Identification number, and DEA Registration Numbers.
  • Washington and his accomplices used this information to impersonate the doctors and obtain fraudulent drivers' licenses and access to the physicians' phone numbers.
  • The co-conspirators performed illegal subscriber identity module (SIM) swaps to gain access to the physicians' phone numbers, and at least one co-conspirator spoke with a pharmacy technician to understand the patterns and practices of physicians submitting e-prescriptions.
  • Washington faces a statutory maximum sentence of 42 years in federal prison, including a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.

Statistics:

  • The scheme issued at least 5,600 fraudulent prescriptions of controlled substances.
  • The scheme lasted from September 2020 to May 2023, a total of 2.5 years.
  • Washington and his accomplices sold the illegally prescribed controlled substances for a significant profit.

Sources:

  • United States District Judge Wesley L. Hsu's sentence of January 13, 2026
  • United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California press release (September 5)