BECKLEY, W.Va. - Robert Sears and Curtis Sears, both age 21, and both of Crab Orchard; and Stephen Hatcher, age 35, of Beckley, were sentenced today in Beckley, West Virginia, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Robert Sears was sentenced to 4 months home confinement with 100 hours community service; Curtis Sears was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment; and Stephen Hatcher was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment. All three defendants previously pleaded guilty in January 2014 to obtaining oxycodone by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception and subterfuge. Each defendant obtained stolen blank prescription scripts, which they forged or which were forged by others, and obtained oxycodone at local Beckley pharmacies.
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger handed down today’s sentences.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs. The United States Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
