43
Pharmacist pleads guilty to 24 counts
Photo
Gary Evankovich
Pharmacist pleads guilty to 24 counts
YOUNGSTOWN
A pharmacist and former owner of North Lima and Bel-Park pharmacies has pleaded guilty to 24 fourth-degree felony counts of sale of dangerous drugs.
Gary Evankovich, 55, of Boardman, entered his plea Monday before Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who will sentence him at a later date.
In the plea agreement, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a later indictment on 108 counts of illegal processing of drug documents in the same Internet prescription scheme.
Although Evankovich could be imprisoned for up to 36 years if he were to be given maximum consecutive sentences on all the counts to which he pleaded guilty, the prosecution and defense agreed to recommend probation with no fine imposed.
In the agreement, Evan-kovich will forfeit $25,000 to be divided evenly between the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy, which investigated the case, and the county prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor’s office agreed to bring no more criminal charges in this matter; and both the prosecution and defense agreed not to issue any press releases concerning this case.
The plea agreement was signed by Evankovich; his three lawyers, Harry Reinhart, Michael McGee and Samuel Amendolara; and Martin P. Desmond, an assistant county prosecutor.
In the same Internet scheme, the pharmacy board revoked Evankovich’s pharmacy license a year ago, saying he filled prescriptions, primarily for out-of-state consumers, without ensuring that a valid doctor-patient relationship and a legitimate medical purpose existed for them.
Evankovich’s appeal of his license revocation is before the 7th District Court of Appeals, which has stayed the revocation pending the appeal.
Authorities allege the scheme involved more than 15,000 prescriptions and almost 1.5 million medication doses. The prescriptions were for many drugs, including muscle relaxants, antibiotics, anti-virals, antidepressants and anti- anxiety drugs, they said.