Miami Federal Agent Accused Taking Part In Illegal Oxycodone Distribution

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - A South Florida federal agent is accused of helping an accomplice run an illegal Oxycodone operation.

Special Agent Alberico Ahias Crespo, 45, and Jorge Diaz Gutierrez, 65, were charged this week with conspiring to distribute Oxycodone, obstructing justice, and making false statements to the FBI, according to a Department of Justice press release.

From September 2019 to June 2020, Diaz Gutierrez recruited patients and sent them to medical clinics to obtain Oxycodone prescriptions that the patients did not need, investigators said. The patients would sell the prescriptions to Diaz, who would fill them at pharmacies and sell the pills to street dealers, officials said.

During this time, Crespo served on a healthcare fraud task force while working for the Office of Inspector General with the Department of Health and Human Services. Crespo passed along information about investigations to Diaz Gutierrez and coached him on how to lie to investigators and tamper with evidence, prosecutors said.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)