TAMPA, Fla. – A federal judge has permanently barred a Tampa-area pharmacist from ever dispensing controlled substances again following accusations that he ran an operation rife with forgery, price gouging, and prescriptions filled for patients who were already dead.
On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida entered a civil penalty and permanent injunction against Nathaniel Esalomi, the former owner and sole pharmacist of Apexx Pharmacy in Hudson.
The order stems from a complaint filed by the United States in August 2022, which painted a picture of a pharmacy operating well outside the bounds of the law. Prosecutors alleged that Esalomi knowingly filled invalid prescriptions for powerful opioids, turning his license into a tool for profit rather than patient care…