Medford pharmacist gets 2 years in prison for illegal pill mill

A Burlington County pharmacist was sentenced to 27 months in prison Tuesday for his role in a long-running conspiracy to illegally distribute and dispense large quantities of oxycodone and other controlled substances from two pharmacies located in Medford.

David Goldfield, 60, of Medford Lakes, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally distribute and dispense oxycodone and other controlled substances.

According to prosecutors in the case, Goldfield was employed by Michael Ludwikowski, 46, at Olde Medford Pharmacy and Medford Family Pharmacy. Goldfield admitted that from January 2010 through August 2013, he conspired with Ludwikowski to distribute oxycodone for individuals they knew were obtaining the pain killers for resale or for non-medical use.

Goldfield admitted it was obvious that many of the oxycodone prescriptions that Goldfield and Ludwikowski filled were fraudulent.

On occasions that Goldfield had suspicions about the legitimacy of particular prescriptions, Ludwikowski allegedly told Goldfield to fill some of those prescriptions anyway. In addition, Goldfield admitted that he and Ludwikowski stored bottles of oxycodone in a pull-out drawer to which pharmacy employees working at the front counter would have easy access, rather than in a locked safe.

When Ludwikowski became concerned with the high number of oxycodone prescriptions that were being filled, Ludwikowski and Goldfield — in an attempt to evade law enforcement — turned away customers who were bringing in fraudulent prescriptions by telling them that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had reduced their supply of oxycodone.

In addition to the prison term, a judge sentenced Goldfield to three years of supervised release and fined him $4,900.

Ludwikowski was convicted at trial of illegally distributing and dispensing oxycodone and maintaining a drug-involved premises. He was sentenced April 12, 2018, to 15 years in prison.