Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Florida pharmacist and pharmacy owner was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in prison for her role in illegally dispensing over 300,000 oxycodone 30mg pills to pharmacy patrons who had no medical need for the drug.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Olushola Yusuf, 60, of Tampa, dispensed oxycodone to nearly all of her pharmacy customers. Yusuf charged customers approximately 10 times the typical cost of the drug and required payment from them in cash. In total, Yusuf dispensed at least 335,351 pills of oxycodone 30mg during the conspiracy. Oxycodone 30mg is the maximum strength available of the drug and is both sought after and potentially dangerous due to its potency. It is typically prescribed to seriously ill patients, such as those suffering from chronic cancer pain or traumatic injuries.
Photograph of Cash Paid to Yusuf for Illegally Distributing Oxycodone from her Pharmacy
Yusuf owned and operated two pharmacies, Boots LLC doing business as, Striderite (Boots) in Margate, and Chans Pharmacy Plus, Inc. (Chans) in Pembroke Pines. Yusuf distributed oxycodone 30mg pills through these pharmacies. Customers drove long distances to have Yusuf fill prescriptions that they could not get filled at any other pharmacy. Some customers paid as much as $1,300 a month in cash to Yusuf for the drugs. And some customers were drug dealers who picked up oxycodone pills purportedly on behalf of dozens of patients at a time who were not present. According to witnesses at trial, Yusuf kept the doors to her pharmacies locked during business hours, directing employees only to open the door for certain identified customers. Yusuf continued to dispense oxycodone in this way even after repeated warnings from her employees and the DEA about the dangers of her pharmacy operations.
After a two-week trial in July 2026, the jury convicted Yusuf of conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and five counts of illegal drug distribution. Yusuf’s co-defendant, Saman Gimenez, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and is scheduled be sentenced later this year.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chief of Operations Matthew W. Allen; FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher Raia; and Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett for the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) made the announcement.
DEA, FBI, and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Angela Benoit of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/fraud/health-care-fraud-section.