Conspiracy Involved over 30,000 Oxycodone Pills
ATLANTA - Kristen Noelle Goduto and 12 other defendants have been sentenced on charges of conspiring to possess oxycodone with the intent to distribute it. The defendants had all previously pleaded guilty to the charges.
“These defendants exhibited total disregard for how their pill peddling could destroy lives," said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “This prescription drug can be deadly when not taken under proper medical oversight. Such brazen forging of prescriptions should serve as a reminder that some in our society will go to any length for illicit gain. We will continue in our commitment to prosecute law-breakers and keep the citizens of this district safe."
Harry S. Sommers, the Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the DEA said of the case, “The sharp increase in the distribution of pain pills for non-medical reasons continues to be a major concern. As such, DEA and its local law enforcement counterparts will continue to target those who traffic these addictive pain medications. These individuals are deserving of the sentences that they received today because of the spirited level of law enforcement cooperation."
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Kristen Noelle Goduto led these 12 defendants in a conspiracy to possess oxycodone with the intent to distribute it. Goduto manufactured prescriptions for oxycodone and recruited others to pass the forged prescriptions throughout the Northern District of Georgia. The majority of the other defendants sentenced today assisted her by passing the prescriptions. The prescriptions would appear legitimate and would often pass through pharmacies because Goduto would either replace the doctor’s office number with her cellular telephone number, so she could falsely verify that the prescription was legitimate; or she kept the doctor’s true number, but either had the prescriptions passed on nights or weekends (when the doctor’s office was closed). For one doctor, she recruited an individual who worked at the doctor’s office who would falsely verify prescriptions. By passing these forged prescriptions, this conspiracy obtained, or attempted to obtain, over 30,000 pills of oxycodone.
The sentences handed down by United States District Court Judge Julie E. Carnes are:
Kristen Noelle Goduto, 29, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Kristen Goduto was convicted of these charges on Sept. 13, 2011, upon her plea of guilty.
Kory Joseph Goduto, 32, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to 11 years, 8 months years in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Kory Goduto was convicted of these charges on December 6, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
Pasquale Peter Goduto, 62, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to 3 years of probation. Pasquale Goduto was convicted of these charges on Feb. 29, 2012, upon his plea of guilty.
Mark James O’Brien, 36, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to 5 years, 3 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. O’Brien was convicted of these charges on December 6, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
Lori Rene Anderson, 34, of Acworth, Georgia, was sentenced to 3 years of probation, including one year of home confinement. Anderson was convicted of these charges on June 27, 2012, upon her plea of guilty.
Georgia Ann Hulsey, 33, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Hulsey was convicted of these charges on Oct. 3, 2011, upon her plea of guilty;
Phillip David Hobbs, 40, of Canton, Georgia, was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Hobbs was convicted of these charges on July 20, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
David Lee Tanner, 34, of Acworth, Georgia, was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Tanner was convicted of these charges on Oct. 3, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
Ryan Patrick Trento, 27, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Trento was convicted of these charges on March 12, 2013, upon his plea of guilty.
Justin Howard, 30, of Braselton, Georgia, was sentenced to 3 years of probation. Howard was convicted of these charges on December 6, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
Ajian Martine Greene, 29, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, was sentenced to 5 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Greene was convicted of these charges on Jan. 3, 2013, upon his plea of guilty.
Terry Randy Wallace, 24, of Newnan, Georgia, was sentenced to 3 years of probation. Wallace was convicted of these charges on May 11, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
Carl Clifton Lewis, 25, of Conyers, Georgia, was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by 2 months in a halfway house and 3 years of supervised release. Greene was convicted of these charges on Aug. 23, 2011, upon his plea of guilty.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Cartersville Police Department, the Cherokee Muli-Agency Narcotics Squad, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the Smyrna Police Department, the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, the Rome Police Department, the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and the Douglasville Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth M. Hathaway and C. Brock Brockington prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.com.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
