Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Gregory D. Megilligan, age 50, of Greenville, was sentenced today in federal court in Greenville, for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846. Senior United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr., of Greenville sentenced Megilligan to 72 months imprisonment.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Megilligan was in league with Lance Tew, Jessica Hollingsworth, and Ginger Merritt. These three co-conspirator have already been sentenced (Tew was sentenced to 100 months, Hollingsworth to 48 months, and Merritt to 60 months). The four involved in the prescription ring created fraudulent scripts for oxycodone and recruited individuals to pass the prescriptions at various pharmacies in the upstate of South Carolina and in western North Carolina.
The criminal activity was discovered when, on Jan. 15, 2013, Jessica Hollingsworth was arrested in a CVS pharmacy in York County for attempting to pass a fraudulent prescription for oxycodone. Lance Tew was the person who drove her to the pharmacy in a rental car. Both Tew and Hollingsworth were arrested. The car war towed and an inventory search conducted. Police found cash, pills, fake ids, blank prescriptions, and fraudulent prescriptions. Further investigation revealed that the conspirators were passing at least one fraudulent prescription per day. The conspirators recruited many individuals to pass the prescriptions and generally paid the prescription passers 30 pills for their efforts. Merritt, having good computer skills, was the primary manufacturer of the fraudulent prescriptions. Megillian assisted with recruitment and the passing of various prescriptions.
The case was investigated by agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
