MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Florida man charged with hacking into the system doctors use to order prescriptions and illegally obtaining painkillers from Long Island pharmacies faced a judge Friday.
While the online system was created to crack down on illegal prescriptions, 21-year-old Devin Magarian allegedly used it to order tens of thousands of prescriptions for oxycodone and narcotic cough medicine.
Magarian allegedly hacked doctors’ accounts and created fictitious patients in order to sell millions of pain meds on the black market.
“The equivalent of stealing a prescription pad from from a doctor’s office 10, 15, 20 years ago. Only now, they’re stealing it through technology,” said Frank A. Tarentino III, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division.
“In the past it was common for a criminal to steal a doctor’s prescription pad and use it to fill illegal prescriptions. Well this defendant and his associates allegedly took that template and updated it for 2024 in a grand way. This is one of the most complex and technologically sophisticated drug operations I have ever witnessed,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.